


77th Precinct

by Hobis_Spoon



Series: Reylo Works [1]
Category: Star Wars, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Police, Attempt at Humor, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben is 32, Crack, Detective Ben Solo, Detective Rey, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Inspired by Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV), Minor Leia Organa/Han Solo, Minor Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Violence, Rey Needs A Hug, Rey is 26, Slow Burn, Space Battles, The author watched one cop show and thinks she knows everything, Therapy, Threats of Violence, Undercover Missions, enemies to lovers if you squint
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:14:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25253662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hobis_Spoon/pseuds/Hobis_Spoon
Summary: Detective Ben Solo has been completing his assignments alone for 3 months ever since his partner died in a drug raid gone bust. Captain Amilyn Holdo feels he's had enough time to grieve and assigns him the new transfer from the 68th precinct.Detective Rey Niima.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Reylo Works [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1834900
Comments: 16
Kudos: 46





	1. New Transfer

**Author's Note:**

> Probably not the best time to be posting a cop AU, but...
> 
> If you haven't, please inform yourselves about the Black Lives Matter movement [here!](https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co//)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a little fun using my poor editing skills making this moodboard. I hope you like it! x

"I can't believe you, Captain," Ben scoffed at his superior, leaning back in his chair and shaking his head disapprovingly.

Holdo levelled him with a disappointed look. "You can shake your head all you want, but you knew this was gonna happen one day or another. And that day is today," she sighed. "You need to change your attitude before the new transfer gets here, Solo."

"Captain, please—" he grunted, but was soon interrupted by his superior.

"That wasn't a request, Detective. It's an order," she told him firmly, standing out of her chair behind her desk.

Ben swallowed his remark and looked down at Holdo's desk, observing each item laid out on the mahogany in front of her as though they held the secrets of the world. Everything was clean, organised, lined up perfectly. If Ben didn't know any better, he'd think she'd glued every item in place just to maintain their proper place in the world. If he knew her well enough, he knows she wouldn't exactly be above the idea.

He's lashed out enough since the incident. Been given enough chances to cool off and shave that hair-trigger finger in charge of his temper. He knows that he has to bite his tongue but truth be told, he'd very much rather hear anything other than 'you're babysitting the new transfer, kiddo' right now. Hell, he'd rather get busted back down to a beat cop.

When she speaks up again—or rather, he decides to tune in to what she's saying—he's got his eyes trained on her name plate, every letter pronounced in raised gold. It's the culmination of all the hard work she's done in the force. An emphasis on just how God damned important she is.

"It's been 3 months," Holdo says to him as if she could read his mind, her sympathetic eyes taking the edge off her clipped tone. If only he cared to meet her gaze. "I know you cared about her. We all did, okay? This precinct, we're a family. But it's only natural that we move on."

_It's too soon._

And God, please make the past tense sound normal. Please make it so it doesn't hurt when she's spoken into the air like she's a lost memory. Like she's been reduced to nothing but a figment at the back of everyone's minds. She was so... In the present. So wondrous in every millisecond that preceded the future, and he should be used to hearing her being referred to in the past tense. 

But somehow, it feels wrong. Like she was never meant to be gone.

He feels like Will Smith in whichever Men In Black movie it was where he found out that history was changed, but he had the memories of another timeline. The timeline where his partner was alive. Fuck, if that was one hell of an analogy. He tried to wrack his brain to remember just how exactly Will Smith went back in time to change history. Something about chocolate milk?

It occurred to him then, with pathetic tinged sadness, that it was fiction.

Fiction can be sweet.

Fiction can be better than the real world.

Fiction is a world where Ben actually prevented her death. Where she's still alive. Where she punches his arm when they're drinking a beer, a permanently annoyed expression on her face because he won't stop laughing about how he saved her life and that she owed him one.

If he tried hard enough, he could taste that beer. If he tried, he could see her million dollar smile break out on her face in the dim lights of the bar. If he tried even harder, he could see their co-workers around them. They're celebrating another case closed.

But this is the real world.

This world isn't very sweet.

She's gone.

She's referred to in the past tense now.

"Lord knows I've told you this enough that if I'd earned a penny for every time I've said it to you, I wouldn't really need this job anymore, but you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened. None of us could have anticipated that ambush."

"What are you, my therapist?" he grumbled. Another scoff escaped Ben's lips, and an annoyed look swiftly glazed over his slightly crooked, anguished features. "You know what? I don't need this. I'm going back to my work."

Excusing himself from Captain Holdo's office, he had as much courtesy to shut the door behind him quietly, but that was about it before he kicked the civil admin's desk on his way back to his work station.

A low whistle met Ben's ears. "Blast of cold air leaving that room," Poe quipped, looking at Ben from across the aisle. He visibly shivered to emphasise his analogy, then he laughed and gave his co-worker a reaffirming smile, with the charm levelled down so he appeared more sympathetic. "You okay, bud?"

Ben smacked his teeth and deadpanned. "What makes you think I'm not?"

Poe shrugged and aimlessly flipped a few pages in his folder. "Just asking. Cause if you're not, it's okay to talk about it."

"About what?"

Poe sighed and leapt out of his chair, moving across the aisle to sit in the chair beside Ben's desk. The designated seat for perps when he had to question them. Poe cleared his throat. "If you're _not okay_. It's okay not to be okay, y'know?"

Ben rolled his eyes and raked one of his dinner plate-sized hands through his thick mane of black hair, something his mother made sure to let him know was the bane of her existence. "For the last time, Dameron. I'm fine."

In return, he received a meek nod and a sheepish smile. "Sure thing, Solo," he told him reassuringly. Before returning to his desk he gave an awkward pat to one of his broad shoulders, which Ben simply refused to dignify with acknowledgement.

It had been like that for 3 months.

Too many sympathies, too many shoulder pats. Ever since that drug raid turned to shit and his partner died.

It was stupid.

She was stupid.

Stupid for being first through the door when Ben had clearly won that game of rock, paper, scissors. 

He was stupid.

Stupid for giving in to her puppy eyes and letting her be the first through the door even though he had won... He fucking won that game, he should've been first through the door.

He was stupid.

Stupid for basking in the glow of her triumphant grin when he should've been a good cop, a good detective, and protected her from harm's way.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

 _Change the past, you cannot_ , Yoda's words rang through his ears. That short little asshole of a departmentally mandated therapist would be giving him a disappointed shake of his head if he knew Ben was burying himself in work just to have something to do, something to make him forget that he wasn't such a shit cop. As if that vomit-green sweater wearing asshole's approval meant anything. He can shove his walking stick right up his—

"Ah, the new detective's here!" Finn exclaimed, bounding out of his seat. "Come on," he grabbed Ben by the arm and dragged him to the front of the bullpen where the elevator was. "Korr from downstairs just texted me. Says she just got in the elevator and should be here any minute now."

She? God damn it, another girl. _Fuck, Captain, why did it have to be another girl?_

"She's gonna be your new partner, right?" Finn asked him eagerly, bumping his elbow into Ben's arm.

He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

Fucking Holdo. He wanted to bound into her office, slam his palms onto her pristine desktop and yell, _'Did you know about this?'_ right in face.

Was she trying to rub salt in the wound or something?

"Something like that," he mumbled under his breath. Frankly, he didn't think he needed a new partner. He'd been doing his work just fine on his own for the past 3 months, and he didn't see the point in draining their department's budget just for some unnecessary spare.

"Maybe she can be my new Sasquatch," Lusica pointed out with a light giggle. Ben turned to look over his shoulder and saw the civil admin sitting at her desk. She had not looked up from her phone and she seemed to be unphased by everything around her, even when Ben had kicked her desk just moments ago when he was leaving the captain's office. He wondered how she could be so lax about everything in her surrounding environment and still have the energy to have upbeat, yet useless, input. Dare he say he was almost envious.

Rose stalked up behind Ben and Finn as they waited for the new transfer at the elevator doors. "Would be cool if she was an actual Sasquatch," she said with an amused smirk. "At least that would make things more fun around here."

Finn scoffed and took a defensive stance. "I'm _plenty_ fun, wench," he received a firm punch on the shoulder from Rose, and if he was hurt by it, he didn't let it show, although it really did look like it hurt. "We don't need more fun around here by the way, we need better numbers."

"Sorry if _crime isn't up_ ," Rose arched a brow at him. "Isn't the whole point of us being cops to decrease crime? Low numbers are a good thing."

"Okay, now you _know_ low numbers means that there is still crime, this whole _city's_ a cesspool of crime. It just means we're bad at our jobs," Finn retorted. "Except for me. I've clearly got the best numbers in this precinct. Hey, would you look at that? I'm the fun guy _and_ the best detective."

"Clearly I'm the best detective," Poe stepped out of his chair and planted a firm hand on Finn's shoulder. "But if you dream a little longer, you can be just as good as me some day," he smiled his charming smile and rubbed his knuckles on the top of Finn's head, who tried his best to duck away from his partner's assaulting hands with meek 'quit its' and glares.

Rose only laughed at the situation unfolding in front of her, meanwhile Ben ignored their squabbling. Instead; he opted his focus on the elevator doors.

Of course, Ben knew that he'd have to move on eventually and get a new partner. That's just the fact of life in their field. He'd seen plenty of casualties regarding his fellow officers in the field in the time he's been a cop. Had seen it happen since he was a beat cop. It happens. Cops die on the job, and their co-workers mourn their loss then they have to move on eventually to continue to protect and serve their communities.

Ben had certainly been on the far end of the grieving time spectrum.

Before he had lost his own partner, he'd turned his nose up at other cops that had spent more than a week getting over the loss of their fellow officers, thinking that they shouldn't have expected complete safety in the field. Death is just an inevitability that most cops tend to avoid during their time with the badge. But when it had eventually happened to him, Ben finally understood what it all meant.

You don't spend that much time with someone you particularly enjoy and _not_ get sad when they die. Just because they were doing their job, it doesn't mean that he shouldn't have to wall off his emotions completely.

He cared.

Not that he'd wholeheartedly admit it to anyone because he was scared that if he did, he'd have to accept the fact that he cared just a little too much.

He finally understood. And now that he understood, he wished he could go back in time so he could tell himself not to be such a snobby dick to the officers who were grieving their lost brothers and sisters. Because that's what they were in the force. He hadn't seen it before, but he had opened his eyes and had come to the realisation that they were a family. You squabble with these people, share your life with them and co-operate with one another to achieve a common goal, all for the safety of a community.

You risk your lives for one another, you teach one another, you bond with one another. That's family.

And after losing his partner, he had grieved. For 3 months. Objectively, he knew that was a lot of time. No matter how much he didn't want this change to happen, he couldn't avoid it any longer.

"Okay, okay, shut up," Rose firmly told Finn and Poe to knock off their bickering.

The ding of the elevator cut through the low hum of workplace chatter.

And Ben held his breath as the doors finally separated.

The fluorescent lights of the precinct seemed to shine into the elevator only to highlight the individual inside. There she stood in her chunky boots, looking over the small group of detectives waiting for her at the edge of the bullpen. She ran her free hand over her shirt, a dark grey Henley that was tucked into her high-waisted black jeans. With a small struggle, she hoisted her side-bag further up her shoulder—which was slipping down her windbreaker.

She wore her brown hair up in a half-up style, the length of her hair brushing against her exposed collarbones. Her badge was attached to a standard chain necklace, the black and gold solidity shining proudly upon her sternum. Her sun-kissed face broke out in a wide, almost blinding, sun-gleaming smile, the lines by her eyes crinkling for the heavens.

Immediately, Ben felt like he had no right to be standing in the light she was beaming. Giving her a once-over, he felt his breath leave his body in one quick wisp. Jesus, she looked like heaven on earth. This isn't fair.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, his rational voice had briefly been muted, switched off upon seeing that woman in the elevator. Eventually he tuned in on his rationality and he told himself to avert his gaze. Creepy. Shouldn't stare. Fucking look away already.

Jesus Christ, who the fuck is she? Is she really the new transfer? This was either a really good idea or a bad one...

The bag hanging from her shoulder dangled and bumped against her jutted hip as she adjusted the weight of the decent sized woven basket she was carrying. It looked like something out of a 50's movie picnic scene. Big, thick, yellow-faded fibres woven between each other to form a tension packed network to conceal mysteries. The contents of the basket were concealed with a classic red and white checkered cloth.

Suddenly her smile disappeared when her eyes landed on a particular detective. "Holy shit—Finn?" she gasped.

Ben doesn't know why, but he's disappointed to hear her winsome voice and light accent for the first time with the mention of someone else's name.

Finn's brows furrowed for a few seconds before he clicked, breaking out into a triumphant laugh. "Oh my God, _Peanut_? Is that you?"

She planted her shoulder bag and the woven basket by her feet before meeting Finn halfway in a warm embrace. As they separated, Finn held her by the shoulders and looked her up and down. "Wow, look at you! You look _amazing!_ " he told her in an astonished tone. "Are you the new transfer? I had no idea you were in the force!"

Rey laughed, and damn Ben if he thought that was the sweetest sound he'd ever heard. "It's been like 10, 15 years, right? Gosh, you look much better than I do, that's for sure," she giggled.

In the back of his mind, Ben disagreed.

"Peanut, is it?" Poe quirked an amused brow at them, popping the bubble they'd both found themselves in.

"Ah, hi," she warmly greeted the remaining detectives waiting for her at the edge of the bullpen. Rose eyed her up and down with a scrutinising look, while Poe and Finn couldn't help but reflect her warm attitude.

Ben was stone-faced and a little annoyed that her introduction was delayed by her unexpected... reunification with Finn. Their relationship was unclear to him, and truthfully; he was a little vexed to be waiting longer than he ought to just so she could spit out her introduction.

"I'm Detective Rey Niima, from the 68th precinct. I bought bagels from 5th Avenue, I hear you guys love that place," she lifted the woven basket from the floor into everyone's view to emphasise her statement.

Ben could faintly hear Poe saying, _'she's right, we do love those 5th Ave bagels'._

"I can't wait to get to know you all and I hope we accomplish great things together," she smiled at each of them. Stepping forward, she extended her free hand to each of them and they all introduced themselves to her.

"I'm Detective Poe Dameron, the king of the precinct."

"I'm Detective Rose Tico."

"Detective Ben Solo," he stepped forward and encased her hand in a firm shake, trying to ignore the warmth of her skin upon his. "How do you guys know each other?" he asked before he could stop himself. Their connection with one another was absolutely none of his business, and he inwardly chastised himself for being so dense

"Oh," Rey turned back to Finn with a huge smile on her face. "We were in the same foster house years and years ago," she shared the intimate detail with such ease yet Ben couldn't help but feel guilty that his rambunctious tongue got the better of him, considering the delicate nature of the subject.

"The Antilles house, right? Damn, that place was good," Finn sighed longingly. "It's really great to see you again by the way, Peanut. We gotta catch up soon. How about some drinks after work? Gotta show you our bar anyway, so how about it?"

Rey raised her brows in surprise but nonetheless, her nodding was as eager as ever. "Sure," she accepted happily.

Poe tiptoed beside her and plucked the woven basket out of her hands. "I'm just gonna... Inspect this in the break room," he said to them before disappearing out of view.

"Well," Rey cleared her throat and looked at each of the detectives one more time. "It was great to meet you all. Finn, Rose, Ben," she nodded to each of them. "Could someone point out the captain's office?" 

Rose pointed to the room at the other end of the bullpen and Rey thanked her quietly before stepping past them and into the bullpen for the first time.

"Nice tits, lady" someone in the holding cell hiccuped noisily. Ben was about to step forward to tell them to 'shut their fucking mouth', until he heard a screech of rubber on the polished floor.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rey immediately turn on her heel and narrow her eyes at the grubby man that had the balls to utter such a thing in a police precinct to a woman with a badge around her neck. " _Can it_ , perp," she bit back with a quiet ferocity. Ben watched with a quirked brow as the man in holding visibly gulped, moving away from the bars, and quietly seating himself on the small blue bench against the wall.

All of the detectives turned their attention back to her and watched as she confidently sauntered down the aisle with her shoulder bag bumping against her hip as she walked.

Finn ushered them into the break room where Poe had more or less been 'inspecting' the bagels by shoving them into his mouth. "Oh, hey guys," he managed to say through a mouth full of bread.

"You know bread makes you fat, right?" Rose informed him. Poe glared at her and continued to chew his mouthful of poppy seed bagel while, much to her amusement, flipping her off. "Anyways," she turned her attention away from Poe and to Ben, "what do you think of the new transfer? Poe's bagel biased so his opinion doesn't count," Poe scoffed in retaliation, "and Finn already knows her from their foster care days, and she's gonna be _your_ new partner anyway, so," she looked at the tall gentleman expectantly.

He hadn't expected to be put on the spot right then. "What do _you_ think of her?" Ben turned the question in her direction.

She shrugged and said, "I think she's cool. She even bought 5th Ave bagels," she jutted her thumb to the woven basket on the break room table, where Poe was currently hunched over it and feasting out of. "And I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty hot how she basically told that perp to shut the fuck up," she added with a sly smirk. "Now you," she looked at him sternly, "what do you think?"

He mimicked her move from before, shrugging carelessly with his arms crossed over his broad chest. "Yeah, she's _cool_ I suppose," he managed to say it without shuddering. Adjectives will be the death of him, much less that which is utilised by the youth and his co-workers that were on the more insufferable end of his scale.

"Are you excited for her to be your new partner?" Finn added with an inquisitive glint in his eye. Ben looked at him with a grimace, shrugging a helpless shrug. 

"Look," he began to say. "I don't know her at all, and quite frankly I don't understand why we need another detective in the precinct, but since she's been assigned to me, I'll do my duty and follow orders. That's my job."

"Jeez," Poe slumped down into a vacant chair at the table, patting his stomach with satisfaction. "You sound like you're in a soap-opera," he laughed haughtily, relishing in the presence of Ben's scowl.

While the gaggle of detectives all nibbled on the bagels that had so kindly been gifted to them, Rey softly knocked on the captain's door and entered when she had been summoned inside.

"Captain, it's great to see you again," she smiled at her superior warmly, extending a hand top her across the desk which was accepted with warmth equal to her demeanour. "You look wonderful. I like the new hair colour by the way," she gestured to the captain's dark blue locks.

Holdo chuckled and released her hold on the detective's hand. "The pleasure is all mine, Detective. And thank you for the kind comments. Please, take a seat," she pointed to the seat across from her desk. The very same seat that Ben Solo was moping in earlier, she'd point out with a tired sigh. "I take it you've been introduced to the squad?" she inquired calmly, looking at the detective expectantly.

The young woman nodded and gave out a light laughter. "Yeah, they're a great bunch. I've actually met Finn before, years and years ago. We were in the same foster home together," she informed her superior.

"Wow," Holdo's raised her brows in surprise. "A home I'm familiar with or...?"

"Ah, no. You wouldn't know the house we were in. I met you, I think, about a year after Finn and I left that home," Rey nodded to herself. "When we were together, we were with this wonderful couple, surname Antilles, then we went our separate ways. After them, I was with the Koths and _then_ I was with Tarkin."

"Ugh," Holdo grimaced. "That slimy bastard. I heard he died of a heart attack. Personally, and forgive me for being so crass, I think he should've had something a lot worse," she keened through grit teeth. "Were you aware that he passed?" the captain finally turned her attention back to the detective in front of her.

Rey swallowed and shook her head no.

Holdo saw that she was making the young woman uncomfortable and cleared her throat, straightening out her posture. "My apologies, Detective Niima."

"No, it's fine," she insisted. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, "I never got to properly thank you and Commissioner Lando for all the help you have given me all these years. I sometimes feel it's almost unfair with all the assistance I've gotten from you guys. You two are far too charitable for your own goods."

"Lando is not nearly charitable enough," the captain snorted unceremoniously. "I only feel as though he's different with you because he sees a bit of himself in you," the captain relaxed into her seat, grateful for the swift change in subject. The look she gives Rey is serious. "But all the support was nothing if not highly deserved, Detective. You're one of the hardest working, strongest and most determined individuals I know. It's an honour to have one of the best detectives in the force in my precinct. Do not ever think that you are any less than. The people that have done you wrong throughout your life most certainly do not get to tell you otherwise."

Rey felt herself growing emotional upon hearing the infamously severe Captain's kind words. She'd known Amilyn Holdo since she was a young girl bouncing through the foster care system.

She met Holdo when she was a lieutenant, her hair had been half orange and half red at the time. Meanwhile, Rey was attending church with her foster parent at the time, Wilhuff Tarkin. A stern, routine-oriented codger with a military background and a soft spot for meatloaf.

She remembers meeting Amilyn Holdo and her wife, Aayla Secura, whilst trying to hide her bruises beneath the thin white dress that Tarkin felt charitable enough to buy for her. It was Aayla that had kept an eye on her throughout the service, and it was she who spotted the bruises that were peaking out just beneath the fabric of Rey's short and flimsy, lace-trimmed sleeves attached to the dress that seemed to be 2 sizes too small.

It was Aayla who secretly pulled Tarkin aside after the service to scold him on giving proper clothing to a young and budding woman while Holdo took Rey to the side, asked and received permission to give a quick examination of Rey's bruises which were on her upper arms, shoulders and feet. Though Rey knew she was safe in Holdo's presence, she hadn't had the gall to lift her dress to reveal the bruises on her torso and hips.

With their help, Holdo was able to arrest Tarkin on child abuse charges and later on, after a thorough investigation, possession of illegal firearms with intent to distribute.

That's where Rey met Deputy Commissioner Lando Calrissian, who personally questioned her to see if she was a witness between Tarkin and his alleged supplier, a scarred gentleman named Snoke. Though she thought she was of minimal help, Lando had smiled at her and assured her that he was grateful for her co-operation.

The girl Holdo knew back then was meek, unable to maintain eye contact for more than a few seconds, and flinched every time someone reached out to her. Holdo later learned that she was much different before she was Tarkin's ward. She was a rambunctious, wild chatterbox. Holdo eventually got to know that chatterbox once she was transferred to a new foster home.

It was the best that the foster care system had to offer at the time. This individual's name was Unkar Plutt, and such a strange titled seemed fitting for the owner of the metal scrap yard. Though he looked suspicious, Holdo found that he was clean and capable enough to care for Rey. 

The tall gentleman was hefty, firm to the tone but not nearly as strict as he'd initially let on to believe. Under his often negligent eye, Rey was able to thrive and nurture her love for mechanical and electrical engineering with the help of a few of his generous employees.

Holdo was aware that Rey was keen on joining the police force, but she insisted on the young woman doing a stint in college just as a backup. Rey took her advice and when she turned of age, Holdo helped her to get a job and a place to live with Maz Kanata, a short bespectacled woman who owned a diner with a free room on the floor above. While Rey worked at Maz's diner, doing odd jobs here and there to earn coin and board, and she was taking Holdo's advice to heart. Studying engineering in college, thankfully with a scholarship.

When her years at college were complete, she joined the academy, where she received the support of now Captain Amilyn Holdo and Police Commissioner Lando Calrissian. With the encouraging and reassuring words they'd never forget to give her every time they'd visit Maz's diner, she excelled in the academy and earned a handful of 'top of the class' titles, and then some. 

"Thank you, Captain," Rey smiled a warm kind of smile, trying her hardest to suppress the tears that were threatening to spill over. The woman in front of her had practicality saved her life, and she felt like no matter what she did, she would never be able to give her the thanks she actually deserved for her generosity.

She watched as Holdo sniffled and composed herself.

"It's okay, Detective. Now," she cleared her throat, "let's discuss your first assignment."

Rey cracked a smile and nodded understandingly, grateful for the distraction from her drifting thoughts.

Holdo hummed in return. "You'll be assigned with Detective Ben Solo. Or, as I endearingly call him, the bumbling lumberjack."

That tall, grumpy gentleman with the permanent scowl on his face? The guy with the head of black, wavy locks curling just short of his shoulders and around his high cheekbones? The guy with the ridiculously broad chest and wide shoulders, looking as though he could serve as the berth to the largest naval port that the world had to offer? _I suppose I can work with that,_ Rey nodded to herself quietly. 

She hadn't realised that she'd committed those details about him to memory. She'd barely glanced at him for more than 15 seconds, but somehow the planes and surfaces of his handsomely crooked face were inscribed into her mind.

Handsome? Damn it.

To be completely honest, she'd never seen someone like Ben Solo before. And New York was a place where you feel like you can never be surprised by the way someone looks. But Ben was an entirely different creature in his own right.

The look she saw on his face when those elevator doors had opened. It was almost _angry_. What could make him look so ingrained and focus? And on her of all people? Was it because she was the new transfer?

She figured that the best he was trying to do was scare her, but somewhere deep down inside, she just knew that she could never truly be scared of a guy like that. A teddy bear in the disguise of a disgustingly tall, broad, dark gentleman with thick locks atop his head and hands big enough to plant fully grown redwood trees. God, those hands could create entire ecosystems. Maybe they have. Was Detective Ben Solo into botanical arts?

It had taken her a moment to realise, but she was speculating the life of a man she had basically crafted a 3D model of in her head, and she felt the pink in her cheeks deepen to a red. She doesn't even _know_ him properly. For all she knows, he could be a horrible detective. And that hypothetical should make her mad, but for some reason she vehemently doubts that.

"And I already have a case for the both of you. It's related to Crimson Dawn," Rey's ears perk up at that. Before she'd made the transfer to this precinct, she was still working on an active case regarding the increased drug activity and its relativity to the infamous gang. "I've just received new intel that could lead to something far more interesting than a few low level drug dealers."

The captain handed Rey a folder with the familiar logo of the police force, although this folder was branded with a precinct number that Rey wasn't quite used to seeing yet.

"I believe in you, Detective. I think it's high time you show these people what you're made of," Holdo gave her a knowing smirk. She stood up from her chair and Rey followed suit. They extended their hands to one another once more for a firm shake.

Rey left the office with the folder in hand and pride in her chest, swimming in the praise.


	2. Pink Taser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey gets her much needed catch up with her former foster brother and new co-worker, Finn Andor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, you want my italics? _You can't have them >:((((_

When Rey gets situated at her desk, she's greeted by the detectives once more. She learns that while she was in her meeting with Captain Holdo, Ben had been informed that a guy he'd been following for months was in the area, and he had to leave. She also learns that Ben had been the one to introduce the 5th Avenue bagels to the precinct yet he hadn't touched a single one that she had brought for them.

He probably wasn't hungry, and Rey knows deep down that he isn't obligated to accept or even partake in eating her offering, but she can't help feeling a little deflated. 

_Does he not like me? That's absurd, he doesn't even know me..._

"And then they adopted me," Finn takes a swig of his beer. "It was... Incredible, Rey. Really," he gushes excitedly.

Chalmun's Cantina was thriving around them, bar goers conversing in every corner of the bar with their drinks and snacks. She learns that a majority of the people inside are fellow officers, indicating to her that this was definitely a cop bar. It was a lot different to the bar in Rey's old precinct, and to be fair; it wasn't exactly a _cop bar_ as much as it was a vegan eatery that only served one good craft beer.

This place was much more her scene. Relaxed atmosphere, upbeat patrons and she couldn't deny that being surrounded by people who were in the same field as her was, in the very least, uplifting. She could relate to these people. The unspoken comradery alone made her smile into the lip of her bottle.

"Wow," Rey keens. "They sound like an amazing couple, Finn _Andor_ ," she giggles, mentioning his new surname. "I'm really glad you found a home."

Had she been told of this story in her teen years, she would've burst into a jealous fit of tears but she was genuinely happy for him. Had no reason to be upset.

When she first met Finn, he looked broken. Weak. And to be completely honest, she thought he was younger than her but she later found out that he was about 4 years older than her. The malnutrition was that bad.

She remembers seeing him being brought up the Antilles' walkway with nothing more than a ragged pair of trousers and a long sleeved graphic shirt, accompanied by a social worker. He was ushered inside by Wedge, their foster father.

The young boy visibly hesitated to take a seat beside her on the couch. An idea came to her, and she dug her hand into the packet of nuts she was snacking from, offering him a piece. "Peanut?" she asked him with a shy smile.

Her earliest memories were of bouncing from home to home, trying to settle in and make a place for herself. Rey of all people knew how hard it was to adjust to a foreign environment, so she tried her best to be friendly and accomodating to this new boy's needs. After all, he was going to be her brother.

"Peanut?" his brows furrowed in confusion. He slowly lifted his hand and gently plucked the offering from between her fingertips.

"You've never seen a peanut before?" she asked him.

He cracked a smile and shook his head. "Oh, no, I thought you were saying your name was Peanut."

Rey snorted. "Really?" she showed him the packaging. "See? Peanut," she tells him with a wide grin, running her finger over the 'Nuts for Nuts!' logo.

"That's an almond," he says to her matter-of-factly. 

Her eyes widened as she whipped her head to look back at the packaging. _Almonds, cashews, walnuts_... But not a peanut in sight. "Okay, well it's just crazy that they don't have the most obvious nut in this, right?" she scoffs in disbelief, putting the bag down on the coffee table.

He nods with a gentle smile, amused at her defensive statement.

The first thing she tells herself about him is that she likes his smile. It looks good on him.

"I'm Rey with an E," she tells him.

"I'm Finn," he says to her, reaching a hand out for her to shake. She looks down at his hand, and back up to his face. Oh, he looks nervous.

Why isn't she taking his hand? Only a few seconds have passed but Finn is starting to panic. She's supposed to be his sister, and she won't even accept his hand, does she not like him already? Sweating, a _lot_ of sweating. God, what is happening? What—!

She quickly leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his bony shoulders, pulling him in tightly. He's stiff for a moment before he reciprocates her affection, awkwardly patting his hands on her back. "Brothers and sisters don't shake hands, stupid," she tells him once they separate.

Finn practically glows at the mention of 'brother'. He'd never had a sister before. Had only ever had older brothers during his time in the system, and they were always mean for no reason. He couldn't defend himself from their harsh treatment, but if Rey of all people was going to be his sister, he could be strong for her. He could protect her. He could be the best big brother for her.

Months into their shared fostering, Finn was starting to look a lot better. He was filling out and he was growing a little taller than Rey, much to her chagrin. It doesn't help that he gets to look down at her now when he's calling her 'Peanut', his new affectionate name for her.

They helped each other with school work (Finn with her English and Rey with his mathematics), gave each other the vegetables they didn't like in their dinner (Rey's peas went to Finn's plate and Finn's carrots went to Rey's plate), even trying to wingman each other on the school yard (they ignore the quirked brows when they tell people that they're brother and sister).

Finn discovered a love for cooking during his time at the Antilles house, being constantly doted upon by the mother of the house, amateur chef Karé.

Rey discovered her love for mechanics, watching attentively as Wedge tinkered with his car in the garage with various tools.

They were in school when they learned that their foster parents Wedge and Karé died in a car accident. After that, Finn and Rey barely got to say their goodbyes before they were separated and put back into the system.

_"We'll meet again, Peanut. I promise."_

"So you fulfilled your promise, huh?" Rey wagged her eyebrows at him.

Finn thinks on what she's saying for a moment, and he smiles. "I suppose I did, Peanut," he grins at her. "It's your turn now. I need a dramatic recap of your life ASAP," and he sounds so excited to hear her story that her heart thumps wildly in her chest. She relents and does a quick recap.

The nice Koth house, the hellhole Tarkin house, meeting Holdo and Lando, moving into Maz's, going to college, joining the academy.

"Holy shit, the Guavian Death Gang? That was you?" Finn gapes at her, slamming his bottle down on the bartop. " _And_ the Kanjiklub syndicate?"

"Yup," she pops the 'p' with flair. "And we were just rookies at the time," she shrugs. While he continues to look at her with a slack jaw, she orders another beer from the bartender.

"Well, who was your partner?" he rests his head on his hand, the look of adoration still evident on his face.

She hums contently, "Jessika Pava."

Finn's head slips from his hand and he almost headbutts the bartop. "Shit—" he curses to himself, looking at her with bewildered eyes. "Are you kidding me?" he screeches and for a second, Rey thinks some kid is in the bar on their bike and skidding to an abrupt halt from how loud the screech was. Okay, maybe Finn's had one drink too many.

"Jessika Pava, like Jessica with a K? Pava?" he repeats and Rey nods in confusion. 

"Did you know her?" she asks him and he swallows. "It's pretty sad, really. She died a few months ago. I couldn't even go to her funeral because I was Texas," her hand tightens on the bottle. A moment passes and she relaxes her hand, letting go of the drink. When she looks back up at Finn, he still has that astonished look on his face.

"Finn?" she reaches a hand out to him and rests it on his arm.

"She was Detective Solo's last partner," Finn tells her and oh, what? "The last case they worked together, they were doing a raid at a newly discovered drop house for the Hutts when they were ambushed. The whole thing was a total bust."

Rey blinks.

So this is where her first ever partner ended up. In the 77th precinct. Did Holdo know? She had to.

In that moment, it dawns on her that she had ended up with Ben freaking Solo of all people, her friend's last partner.

Suddenly, she had become painfully aware of the fact that she was being put together with a man that had too much history in his last partnership, and it made her uncomfortable. Building a good rapport with him was going to be harder than she initially thought.

Ben Solo was a man who had lost his partner. Rey had lost her too, but not quite to the degree that Ben had.

When Rey was still partnered with her, Jessika transferred to a different precinct to be closer to her ill mother, and Rey had shared a teary beer with her for one last time. Of course, it wouldn't be the last she'd see of her but they would never see each other as frequently as they did. And then a year after that, Jessika had transferred to an even _farther_ precinct, making their get-togethers a lot more difficult. Some point in time, they'd both become detectives and the workload just made it near impossible to get together at all. 

"The last I heard, she was still in the Bronx," Rey confesses meekly. The irony was not lost on her, the fact that she was absolutely shit at keeping in contact with people.

First it was Finn, then Jessika, then some poor guy she had a one night stand with and promised to text back. It wasn't even intentional ghosting, she thought he was a very promising guy but to put it simply, she was very distracted by some crazed woman holding up a whole bodega with a butter knife to text him back.

"I can't believe I was tracking down some arsonist in bumfuck Texas while one of my friends was being lowered into the ground," Rey says glumly. She sighs and finishes her bottle in one swift swig. "She was the best of us, Finny," she's ordering another bottle from the bartender. "You know, when I came back, I spent hours scrubbing her headstone because someone spray painted a fucking pig on it," she shakes her head in disbelief.

"You're joking," Finn slumps his shoulders and gives her a sympathetic pat on the back. "Ah, shit, Peanut."

To shift the subject, he offers her a few recounts of his favourite times with Pava and Rey interjects with a few accounts of her own. She's smiling and nodding along to his enthusiastic storytelling when it's his turn.

It turns out Jessika Pava was the first in the bullpen to win a chess match with Captain Holdo, and the first to start a fire in the break room (Finn promises to show her the scorch mark on the bench the next day).

"And then she and Solo had to try and stop the pregnant avocado lady and the tomato guy from making out. They wouldn't stop telling people how they were gonna 'make some guacamole' in the holding cell, it was _very_ graphic," Finn grimaces, but the image of the whole scenario was enough to make her wheeze.

"Ah, speak of the devil," he smiles even wider, looking behind her.

She turns in her stool to see Ben walking into the bar, followed by a—holy shit, _beautiful_ —blonde woman in a mustard coat. Rey watches as they walk to the far corner of the room. She notices that he doesn't sit in the booth until the woman does so first. It's sweet. Even though they're far away, and the lighting is abysmal, it isn't lost on her just how beautiful that woman looks. The mystery woman's long, blonde hair flows past her shoulders and her cheekbones are highers than her pay grade.

To stop herself from diving into a monologue about just how breathtaking this woman is, she averts her gaze just a millimeter only to see that Ben's back is turned to her.

With just his height and width, he sticks out like a sore thumb. Even in the abysmal lighting. God, it's so abysmal in here. She wants to look at that beautiful woman's face and Ben's whole frame in better lighting. Okay, they are _both_ attractive individuals, which is making Rey's mind swirl a little more than it ought to be. They look like a good couple. If they even were a couple.

Pfft. What's there to doubt?

Do tall, hot men typically go to bars at night with their tall, hot lady friends? No. Tall, hot men go to bars at night with their tall, hot girlfriends.

And Rey tells herself she should be scared about how much she's calling him hot. Not so much the woman, because only one of them was going to be Rey's partner in the morning, and it certainly wasn't her.

Plus, he didn't eat her bagels. Asshole. Was he afraid that his girlfriend would find out? It's just a fucking bagel... And she doesn't know why she's getting so worked up over it if it's _just a fucking bagel_.

"I should get going," Rey grabs her wallet and deposits enough for her drinks and a hefty tip. Finn stands up with her and they embrace each other in a warm hug.

"I'm so glad we're together again," Finn's words are muffled into her neck but she understands him anyway, tightening her arms around him. "I missed you," he pats her shoulders and she pats his in return.

"I missed you too, Finny," she tucks her wallet back into her bag. "I'll see you at work tomorrow."

And with that, Rey tries to walk out of the bar. Now, to be fair, she isn't drunk enough to wobble but she's drunk enough to not see the absolute brick wall of a human being standing behind her. She bumps into him and she feels her arms being steadied by the biggest hands that have ever been laid on her body before. She looks up, and she looks up even further to meet Ben Solo's annoyed face.

"How are you getting home, Detective?" he asks her. There's no 'hello' in sight. 

She hiccups and relaxes once he lets go of her arms. "Walking," she raises her chin and crosses her arms over her chest and she doesn't know where all this confidence is coming from. Just kidding, she knows it's from all that burnt toast flavoured alcohol. "Gonna walk right past that 5th Avenue bakery and get more bagels," she tells him proudly and she sees the corner of his lip twitching.

"They're closed," is all he says.

"Well," Rey shifts her weight onto her other foot, desperately trying to think of how to respond. She briefly looks way from him to look for Finn, who she assumes has disappeared into the bathroom because his jacket is still on the back of the bar stool. "I need to walk past that bakery anyway."

"Jesus, you're going all they way out there? It's too far away," Ben shakes his head. "You need to get a cab."

"I'll just get Finn to walk me," she looks for him again and he _must_ be in the bathroom because she can't see him anywhere in the bar.

"He already left."

She looks up at him with wide eyes. "Holy shit, already?" she looks at Finn's abandoned jacket hanging off the back of the stool. "He left his jacket."

"Don't worry about it, I'll just bring it in tomorrow. But _you_ ," he points a finger at her chest, "need to call a cab. You can't be walking out in the street like that," he frowns down at her, and she hates that he's looking at her like that. Like she's some helpless heroine.

Without another thought she's digging her hand into her bag. Within a second, she's retrieves a pink taser. She ignites it and the loud buzzing noise makes him flinch.

"Jesus fucking shit—put that thing away!" he implores and she looks incredibly dubious when she refuses him, grinning like a madman.

Rey teases him further, waving the pink taser in his face, delighting in the way his eyes widen. "And that's exactly what they'll say if they try to come near me," she tells him.

Ben looks like he's at a loss. He clenches his jaw, and the tension is not lost on Rey. "Fine," he's looking at her earnestly.

"Really?" she asks, as if she's surprised by his dictation. Truthfully speaking, he looks like he's about to pop a vessel. 

" _Fine_ ," he repeats firmly. "Clearly you can take care of yourself," he gestures to her taser.

She lifts it back up again just so he can have a closer look, but he's leaning back with wary eyes. He curses under his breath and steps back. "Put that thing away and go home already."

She smiles triumphantly and plants the taser back in her bag.

He's watching her when she's stepping back slowly and out of the bar's doors. 

"Who was that?" Tallie steps up from behind him.

"Come on, we gotta go follow her," his voice is insistent, and as he grabs Finn's jacket, he catches her bewildered look in the corner of his eye. 

"Wait, what? We literally just got here!" she's clearly baffled, eyes almost bulging out of her head at his request. "Why on earth are we following that poor girl? I know she's cute, but this is creepy—even for you, Solo," she crosses her arms over her chest and stands her ground.

He's reluctant to tell her his intentions but her stoney expression and her claims of him being 'creepy' was enough for him to finally relent. "Okay, first; she's not _cute_ , she's my new partner," he frowns down at her, "and she's drunk... And she has a taser."

Tallie sighs contently, smiling softly. "I love a woman who owns a taser."

"Whatever, let's go. She's getting too far," he grumbles and Tallie rolls her eyes at him, following him out of the bar with heavy feet.

"Fine, but you freaking _owe_ me one, Solo. I haven't eaten yet."

Once they're outside, they take a breath of fresh air. They start walking together side by side, looking over the midnight crowd to try and spot her half-up hair and dark windbreaker.

Tallie's swinging one foot out in front of the other, humming softly. 

"That girl actually looks a familiar, now that I think about it," she speaks into the cold air with a shiver. When he sees her doing that, he's looking at Rey and wondering if she feels cold. Tallie herself was wearing a thick coat while Rey was only sporting a flimsy looking windbreaker.

He shakes the thought away. Rey's _fine_. She can handle the cold.

It wouldn't really surprise him if she had seen Rey before. "Maybe you've bumped into each other in the field," he tells her.

"Maybe," she responds. "But I'm not entirely sure that's it. I'll let you know once I remember, though."

He nods. They watch Rey as she stumbles into a group of women all donning bachelorette sashes, whom she profusely apologises to. She gets back on track and Ben is annoyed at the sight of her trying to look sober, struggling to plant her feet firmly, one in front of the other, on the sidewalk.

"It's a little irresponsible, don't you think?" he asks Tallie. 

She shakes her head. "Why do you think that?"

Ben shrugs lightly. "Well we've got to work our first case together tomorrow morning, and I've just watched her get drunk."

Tallie laughs half heartedly. "Think about it. She's just celebrating, Solo. She's new to the precinct and she's just getting to know her peers over some drinks."

"Peer," he corrects her. "She was only drinking with Finn and they already know each other. Apparently, they were in the same foster house when they were younger."

She arches a brow at him. "All the more reason to celebrate, don't you think?" she elbows his arm and he grunts in response. "I think it's sweet," she smiles to herself, and the fond look in her eyes is not lost on him. Maybe she had a point.

Ben frowns down at his shoes. "I just figured she would be trying to make a good impression, y'know? I'm not exactly impressed with her behaviour so far."

Just then, he sees Rey pause in front of an older, homeless gentleman. Both he and Tallie watch silently as she digs a hand into her side bag, summoning her wallet and retrieving a handful of bills. She bends down to put it in the cup in front of him.

The homeless man extends his hand to Rey and Ben can hear him thanking her liberally with a wide grin on his face.

"Is that good enough of an impression for you?" Tallie smirks up at him, and Ben holds back the urge to roll his eyes at the smugness in her voice.

He looks back at Rey to see that she was now sitting beside the homeless man and bringing out a duo of granola bars from her bag, offering one of them to him. He takes it with both hands, bowing his head to her. He sees her patting the man's back softly with a beaming smile on her face. They both open their respective packages and eat away at their snacks.

Ben huffs out an annoyed breath and steps forward. 

"Wait, what are you doing?" Tallie asks him, but he's already ahead of her.

"Get up, Niima," he plants his feet on the ground right in front of where she's sitting.

Rey finally looks up at him. "Why? Do you need to see my taser again?" she hiccups.

He clenches his jaw but doesn't indulge in her bantering. "You need to get up. You need to go _home_. We have to work a case tomorrow morning."

"Crimson Dawn. Yeah, yeah," she waves her hand at him dismissively. "Wait," she narrows her eyes at him, "were you following me?"

Initially, Ben panics because yeah, he knew that she was determined to get home on her own without his intervention, and yeah, it did look a little creepy that he was following her. This woman he barely knew, this woman who was supposed to be his new partner.

Thankfully, Tallie steps in. "Just a coincidence. Ben was walking me to work."

It takes Rey a few seconds to let the information sink in, but she's nodding when she finally gets it.

"You must be the new transfer from the 6-8, right?" Tallie asks her and Rey nods once more. She extends her hand to the drunk, seated woman and introduces herself. "I'm Detective Lintra, but you can call me Tallie. I work the night shift at the 7-7."

Upon hearing this, Rey immediately sits up straighter and to Ben, she's making something close to a choking noise. "Oh, sh— Hi," she's off her ass and is quickly on her knees. She takes Tallie's hand and shakes it profusely, "Yeah, I'm the new transfer, Detective Rey Niima."

Rey is groaning to herself as she gets back on to her feet once again. "My feet got a little sore and I was just having a snack with this gentleman here," she gestures to the homeless man who was quietly nibbling on the granola bar that Rey offered to him.

Ben is astonished with the fact that she was trying to make herself look good for Tallie, yet she's abrasive with _him_. He hasn't exactly given her a reason to be so... forthcoming with him, but he's also aware of the fact that he hasn't given her a reason to behave otherwise.

"Let us walk with you," Tallie insists and though Rey looks a little hesitant, she nods in acceptance. She bids farewell to the homeless man and soon, she's walking beside Tallie, meanwhile Ben opts to trail behind them.

He can hear tidbits of their conversation, but it's not his fault that Rey is speaking a little louder than usual. Or maybe that's how she normally speaks. He doesn't exactly know what the median of her volume typically is, but he's hoping with every fibre of his body that it's just a part of her drunk behaviour. While he's stewing about how he's gonna face sober Rey in the morning, Tallie is telling her where she got her earrings from.

"My darling love got them for me as a birthday present," she angles her neck so they're on full display for Rey to see. They're gorgeous, diamond studs with a neatly trimmed gold casing. 

Rey is gushing at the sight of them. "Wow," she says in awe, "I didn't peg him to be the romantic type."

Tallie quirks a brow at this. "Who?"

"Him," Rey nods her head back at Ben, and thankfully he's a couple paces behind so he can't fully hear their conversation.

"Ha!" Tallie snorts loudly. "Yeah, he wishes," she's giggling to herself and Rey realises that she was oh so completely wrong. 

"Oh shit, I'm sorry—"

"It's fine," Tallie settles her nerves with a kind eyed smile. "I suppose I should give him some credit. He did help to pick them out."

Rey tilts her head in surprise. "You guys sound close."

Tallie's face is illuminated by the 5th Avenue bakery when they pass by, and Rey is reminded of the basket she brought to the precinct. She wants to turn around and ask him why he didn't eat her bagels, but she's sobered up a marginal amount since she started her wobbly trek back home, and decides against accosting him in the middle of the street.

"He was close with my girlfriend. She was his partner after all," Tellie tells her. "Our friendship was just the natural aftermath." Even though her thinking process has been slowed down a little, it doesn't take long for Rey to absorb the information and puzzle the pieces together.

"Jessika?" she almost squeals. 

Tallie pauses on the spot at the mention of her name, looking at Rey with furrowed brows. "Did you know her?"

"Of course," Rey's heart rate speeds up. "Yeah, uh, we were in the academy together," she manages to squeeze out a lighthearted chuckle. "And she was my first partner in the force."

She can see Tallie's eyes watering. "Wow," she breathes out, "there's... I actually recognized you before," she sniffles. "I didn't see if before, but I know from where. She had a picture of you two in her apartment. I think it's from when you were both in the academy."

And Rey wants to cry too because in her apartment sits the exact same photo. It's the only good photo, in Jessika's opinion, that they had together. Rey would happily argue. When they were in the academy together, they managed to convince the visiting photographer to take their picture.

Jessika's eyes are clenched shut and her wide grin is on display for the world to see, and Rey's looking at her with a dumbstruck expression, her double chin far too prominent for her taste. Rey remembers looking at the photographer's camera roll and being too honed in on an argument with Jessika about how stupid she looked to realise that it was too late for a retake since the photographer had already left.

The next week, 2 copies of the photo were sent to the academy only to be discovered by their amused instructor, who delivered it to them with the happiest look they'd ever seen on his face. That hilarious moment was immortalised. Permanent. And though Rey hated that photo for how unattractive she looked, she was glad that one of the funniest moments of her relationship with Jessika was hanging on the wall of her living room in a frame that was maybe just a little too big.

To stop the tears from flowing, Rey bites the inside her cheek and inhales through her nose. In the blink of an eye, Tallie's wrapping her thin arms around Rey's shoulders and bringing her in for a hug.

When Ben finally looks up, he has no idea how to interpret what he's seeing.

"It's just... It's good to meet someone that she knew," Tallie's pulling away and swiping under her blue eyes with the tips of her dainty fingers. 

Rey is smiling at her fondly and rubbing the blonde's coat-covered arms comfortingly. "Same here," she says in response.

"What's happening?" Ben inquires with a confused expression. 

Tallie sniffles again and swipes her nose with a tissue from her pocket. "Ben, she knew Jessika."

At this, Ben stiffens. Just what are the coincidences of that? 

Shit.

"Yeah," Rey speaks up. "We were in the academy together and she was my first partner."

Double shit.

"That's," Ben is trying to look for the right words to say. He doesn't know what to say. What to feel. On one hand, he resonates with Tallie's words about how nice it is to know someone that knew Jessika, but he's also suspicious about Rey's past with her. He can't help it.

He and Jessika had bonded a lot in their time together as partners, tailing perps in their squad car, going undercover as people with ridiculous professions and doing stake-outs that lasted hours. She was one of the only people he actually respected. 

And Jessika had spoken about Rey before. She'd never mentioned a name, but it was nice for him to finally put a name and a face to what Jessika referred to as her 'academy bud/first partner'.

"That's great," he finally says to them, and he catches the affectionate look from Tallie. He knows what it means. 

Ever since Jessika had passed away, he and Tallie had gotten closer. They grieved together. Ate dinner together (breakfast for her). Had shared their favourite stories about Jessika with one another.

It was simple to say that Jessika was closest with Tallie and Ben, and now they've just met someone new that had also been close with her. He can practically see the gleam in Tallie's eyes when she looks at Rey. He knows she's excited to have get another chance to bond with someone over Jessika's life.

But Ben is reluctant. Just why did Rey come to the 77th precinct? Was she some sort of pawn that Holdo placed in front of him? Did the captain think that putting Jessika's old partner with him make it easier for him to transition? It was too much of a coincidence.

"Come on, you're gonna be late for your shift," Ben tells Tallie as he steps past the both of them, getting a foot ahead of them.

Tallie furrows her brows but she knows he's right. "He's just had a long night," Tallie tells Rey. "I bet he's happy to be partnered with someone that was close to her."

But Rey doesn't want him to be happy to be partnered with her _just_ because they have Jessika as a connection. Granted, Rey thinks it's nice that they finally have something in common, but she gets a feeling that he doesn't exactly want to talk about his deceased partner just yet. Or at all. And she wouldn't blame him for it. Though, if he ever wanted to, she'd happily oblige in that conversation..

* * *

Rey's surprised to find that she doesn't have a splitting headache the next morning, and she manages to drag herself out of bed with little reluctance and into the bathroom for a hot shower.

When she steps into the elevators at the precinct, she finds herself alone with her new partner.

"Well, this is awkward," she laughs. They're wearing the exact same clothes.

Black boots, dark grey jeans and plain grey shirts. Granted, the shirt looks a little better on Ben. It's stretched across his broad chest and it defines his waist well. And maybe the jeans look a little better on him too, especially with the way they encase his thick thighs—and, God, Rey wants to bang her head against the metal walls. She can't be describing her new partner like that. It's inappropriate. No matter how annoyingly handsome he is.

She catches him evaluating her outfit and subconsciously squares her shoulders. "Should I go home and change?" she jokes, but he doesn't show any interest in her bantering, opting to look at the elevator doors as they ascend to their desired floor.

"I have another shirt in my locker," he says to her disinterestedly, which makes her slump against the wall of the elevator. As he crosses his arms, Rey doesn't miss the way his biceps bulge against the fabric of his short sleeves. Jesus, that can't be legal. She wants to report him to HR for indecency, but she doesn't think the 'co-worker's biceps are too distracting' would pan out very well as a subject line in her email.

One thing that sticks out to her is his cold attitude towards her.

It wouldn't take a genius to know that he hasn't exactly taken to her.

She knows she's in for the long haul when it comes to actually establishing a good rapport with this guy, but it doesn't help that he's not exactly helping her out. Typically, when people know they're going to be spending a lot of time with one another, they try to get to know the other person better just to make things easier. But it seems like Ben just wants to make things difficult.

She _knows_ he knows that she was drunk the night before, she made it apparent enough. Couldn't he give her the benefit of the doubt?

The night before, she knows she behaved a little abhorrently. Especially since she argued with him and waved her pink taser in his face. And she would love to blame the alcohol, but she knows that she her motives were petty and in vain for his bagel neglect.

She still suspects he was following her after she left the bar, and even if he was, she wonders to herself whether she should be so upset with him for doing so. _If_ he did so. She wonders if Tallie had put him up to it, because while Ben did argue with her initially to have a safer mode of getting home, he had eventually relented and let her do as she wished. 

Rey glances up at him again and isn't surprised to see that there's still a scowl on his face.

When she sees him like that, she's hit with another memory of the night before.

Oh God, she remembers.

Not only had she waved her taser in his face, she basically threatened him with her pink, personalised, pepper spray after he and Tallie had dropped her off at her apartment. She recalls seeing Tallie hold back a snicker, but she can clearly remember the scowl on his face. It was eerily similar to the one that he had on his face right at that moment.

 _Yeah_ , she thought to herself, _even_ I _wouldn't give myself the benefit of the doubt after that shit show._

The elevator dinged as they reached their floor, and Ben was first out the doors. She watched him warily as he dumped Finn's jacket on his desk and practically stomp his way to Holdo's office like a man on a mission.

"Morning, Peanut!" Finn greets her warmly, drawing her attention away from Ben as he slams the captain's door shut behind him. She's surprised to see that Finn, and everyone else in the bullpen, is unphased by the loud thump of Ben's doing. Finn's standing by a table in the center of the open style kitchen, lined with a variety of beverage options which were no doubt provided by the department. "Coffee?"

Rey accepts his offer with a smile, and she makes her way to her new desk. As she sits down, she can hear shouting coming from the office, and she's still surprised to see that no one is really paying attention to it at all. Was this a normal occurrence?

"Did you know?" Ben asks her angrily, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.

Holdo is looking up at him from behind her desk with an arched brow. She takes off her glasses with a sigh. "Good morning to you, too."

"I said _did you know?_ " he repeats himself, his tone accusatory and still very clearly angry. His scowl has grown into flared nostrils, furrowed brows and pinched lips.

"You better drop it, Detective," Holdo is clearly unimpressed with his display of irritation. Her tone is clipped and sharp as she returns his unflinching glare. "Take a seat, and don't make me repeat myself. I'm not in the mood for your mood right now."

Ben is biting back the urge to spit out his remark but he opts against it, knowing that he'd get his answer faster if he just abided by her rules. He sits himself down and looks at her expectantly.

"Much better," she closes her folder. "Now, be more more specific with me. What do you want?"

He exhales through his nose slowly and shuts his eyes. He feels tense. The muscles in his arms are taut and his jaw doesn't really feel like moving after being clenched a little too hard. "Did you know that she was Pava's old partner?" he manages to say in a calmer manner.

Her answer is straight and to the point. "Yes."

"Did you," he's breathing a little harder, "did you make her my partner on purpose? Did you make her transfer here because of me?"

Holdo folds her hands on top of her desk, looking at him earnestly. "No."

"Then why is she here, damn it?" he shouts. It wasn't intentional. Ever since he had learned that Rey was intimately connected to Jessika, Ben had been on edge.

"The world doesn't revolve around you, Ben," Holdo is loud and stern, and Ben is eyeing her warily as she's stepping out of her chair. "No, she's not here for you. No, she's not here because she's connected with Pava," her dark blue hair shifts as she tilts her head to look at him. The acidic look she's giving him is palpable and he has half the mind to squirm in his chair. "And the reason behind her transfer is mostly certainly none of your business."

The detective sat in the chair, stewing in the silence after her poignant speech.

He let out groan and planted his head in his hands, " _Fuck_ ," he mumbled into his hands.

Holdo looked at him sympathetically, sitting back down in her office chair. "Look," she tells him, "I can see why you'd be suspicious. And I know I put it a little harshly, but damn it, Solo, it really isn't about you," she shakes her head at him. "I'm going to encourage you to speak to your therapist about this, because quite frankly, ever since you I've informed you about the new transfer, your behaviour has been unacceptable."

Ben huffed into his hands but nodded nonetheless. He knows she's right. And the more she keeps dropping truth bombs around him, the faster the guilt crawled up his spine. Yeah. He needs to see his therapist. "I... I will," he responds to her after a moment of silence has passed them. "I'm sorry," he says to her quietly.

"I know," she clasps her hands together. "Now get ready for the briefing, it's in 15 minutes."


	3. Stake Me Out Tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey is on her first assignment with her new partner and precinct grump, Detective Ben Solo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter's a bit of a long one... I couldn't really find the right place to chop it in half, but it'll have to do.

Dr. Yoda was a small man, not even by Ben's standards.

He was a human dumpling with greying, wispy hair and kind eyes, and a thankfully pragmatic manner. And at an astounding 4'11, he made Ben feel even larger than usual.

When Jessika had passed away, Holdo and his mother, Leia, recommended he take advantage of the therapist they were going to get for the particularly emotionally distressed members of the squad, which they automatically assumed he was going to be.

Not that he blamed them. He supposed his outbursts had been telling enough. So he made sure to find a therapist that didn't try to give him repetitive pep talks and the 'after the rain comes the rainbow' shit.

Gratefully, Dr. Yoda was not that kind of therapist.

Though, much to Ben's chagrin, therapists frustrated him to no end. Dr. Yoda was no exception to this.

After the stifled briefing session that morning, Ben had powered through his reports, ignoring his new partner's wary glances. It didn't help that she was sat at the desk right in front of his, and that she was sitting in Jessika's old seat.

Just before lunch, he had called his therapist for an emergency session and was relieved to find that they were able to squeeze him in for the period of his lunch break.

"A new partner, you say you have," Dr. Yoda hummed delightfully.

He's tapping his pen to the rhythm of his softly bouncing leg, all the while balancing his notepad.

"Tell me about him... her?"

"Her," Ben pointed out, the nerves in his fingertips tingling. "She's... 26, I think."

He knows. He'd looked her up in the system and scoured through her online profiles in a fit of paranoia, only to find that she likes to nurse the little succulents on the window sill of her fire escape and that she volunteers at BIGSNYC in her free time.

From what he could gather, she liked to only wear shorts and a flimsy singlet whenever she wasn't working (God save him). He also learned that she had an affinity for cute and small things—which he tells himself is totally _fine_ , even though he's reminding himself that he is neither cute nor small—, and that she likes to watch comedic videos by an internet personality who plays a flight simulation game.

He clenched his hands to stop the jittery feeling from creeping through his bones, which didn't help at all.

He felt weird talking about his new partner because deep down, he knew his fears about her were irrational, but that didn't stop them from inserting themselves into his mind unprompted.

Dr. Yoda nods. "Anything notable, is there?" 

Ben sighs, raking a hand through his hair. "I don't know, she's generous I guess," he shrugs. "She... she brought bagels as a sort of introductory gift for the squad."

Dr. Yoda watched him and waited.

"She's got a nice smile," Ben looked to Dr's Yoda's cane resting against his armchair, remembering the way Rey absolutely beamed when those elevator doors opened.

He wasn't quite ready to share with his therapist how she practically made his heart stop without even trying. It was embarrassing. Too much so to share with him... yet.

"And she's pretty bold... although, a little too reckless for my taste. I saw her at Chalmun's Cantina last night and she was drunk. I tried to get her to order a cab but she wouldn't listen to me. Instead, she waved a fucking taser in my face and insisted she could walk home by herself."

Dr. Yoda's eyebrows go up at hearing this. "Ah. Interesting, that is."

"That was just before I saw her give money to a homeless man and share a snack with him. I, um... I also learned that she went to the academy with Jessika, and that they were even partners at some point," Ben shared more information with fidgeting hands.

"Nice, that must be," Dr. Yoda looked at him with a soft gaze.

"That's not the point though," Ben waved his hand dismissively. "The point is that I don't..." he steeled himself, exhaling through his nose. "I told them that I could deal with having a new partner. And somewhere inside, I know I've had plenty of time to grieve..."

"A time limit on grieving, Ben, there is not," Dr. Yoda gave him a small, understanding smile.

Ben looked up at him and silently nodded at his reassuring words, the thankfulness evident in his eyes.

"But I don't know why looking at her makes me... _upset_ ," he added. "My new partner," he reiterated.

"Think of anything, can you? Any reasons at all?"

A flash of annoyance crossed Ben's face, because he had _just_ said to him that he didn't know. He had to remind himself that it was just a prompt, not an intentionally antagonizing question.

"I suppose... It feels weird seeing her sitting at Jessika's desk," he admitted, glancing at Dr. Yoda with a frown.

Dr. Yoda scribbled something down in his notepad, nodding for Ben to continue.

"And..." he shifted his jaw, thinking of how to phrase his thoughts. "I don't think it's the addition of _her_ , I think it's just the loss of Jessika."

His shoulders slumped as he waited for the short therapist to finish writing down his notes. "If I am understanding correctly... concerned, you seem to be, with the absence of your old partner."

"Of course," Ben furrowed his brows. He thought it was obvious. 

"The past it is, you are holding on to. Are you not?"

Ben pinched his thumb and the tip of his index finger together, biting his cheek. "I just... I know could've done something," he murmured quietly, feeling his fingertips going numb. Before he already said it, he knew what the wise old therapist was going to say.

"Gone over this, we have. _Change the past, you cannot,_ " Dr. Yoda echoed his words from their earlier sessions.

"Yeah, well it doesn't help that every time I look at my new partner, I'm reminded of that," Ben snapped.

Dr. Yoda smiled understandingly. "I see."

Ben paused when he realised what he had said. He relaxed into his chair.

"When you see her, reminded of the past you are?" Dr. Yoda straightened, twirling his pen idly between his fingers.

He nodded stiffly.

"In my opinion, Ben," Dr. Yoda taps his pen rhythmically against his notepad. "From your survivors guilt, your issues seem to stem. Reminded of it, you are, when you see your new partner."

In a way, Ben is glad to have the source of his conflicting thoughts, that itching little nuisance at the forefront of his conscious, laid out in front of him in one neat little sentence. He had thought that all the internal whispers of doubt would be harder to put into words, but there they were; out in the open for him to nitpick.

Dr. Yoda hummed thoughtfully, returning his kind gaze back to his notepad to jot down more of his thoughts. "In our last session, you spoke about how you had a friendship with Jessika that with the other detectives, you do not," he spoke calmly. "A friendship with your new partner, do you think you will not have?"

Ben thought about the question for a moment before shaking his head. "We're not in this field to make friends," he answered with a huff.

Dr. Yoda's expression hardened the way it did when Ben gave a non-answer. "Ben."

Ben grimaced and shrugged his shoulders unknowingly. "I mean, it can happen," he knows it can, because the death of it was the reason why he was even in this specific therapist's office. Had he cared less, her certainly wouldn't be there. "But I'm not interested right now."

"Peculiar," Dr. Yoda quipped. More jotting down in his notepad. "The disinterest is indefinite, would you say?" 

Ben frowned at his hands, "That's... I don't know."

"Would you consider it?" Dr. Yoda asked him.

Ben rubbed a hand over his face and let out a deep breath. "I mean, it should be the other way around," he laughed dryly. "I should be saying that I'd be grateful if someone like _her_ would even consider a friendship with _me_." he caught Dr. Yoda trying to hide a frown.

"And why do you think that?"

"Because I'm an asshole," he stated as if it were the obvious.

Dr. Yoda hums. It's not something he hasn't heard before.

"Friends with your new partner, would you like to be?"

"I said I wasn't interested."

"About your old partner, that is what you said," Dr. Yoda recalled from one of their earlier sessions. "A friendship, you did not want, but what you made anyway. Is that something you regret?"

Yes. No.

He regrets it because it gave him the emotional attachment that he firmly did not want, and as a result; her death became a crippling moment in his life.

He did not regret it because she was one of the only people who really got to know him and she did not judge him. She was one of the few people who actually understood him.

When he shrugged in response, Dr. Yoda scribbled something in his notes.

"The loss of your new partner, do you fear?"

"The loss of any of my fellow officers is something I fear," Ben answered honestly. "Every day, we are knowingly putting ourselves in danger and at any moment, we could die."

"The potential loss of your own life in the field, do you fear?"

Ben is stumped at his hard hitting questions, but he answers anyway. "Sure, I mean, someone's gotta dog-sit for my parents when they want to go on their Fall vacations, right?" he attempts to crack a joke but he settles into his chair quietly when Dr. Yoda shows no sign of bemusement.

"A good coping mechanism, humour is," is all Dr. Yoda offers.

Ben reminded himself not to make another attempt at humor.

Dr. Yoda continues to write a few more things down in his notepad, humming quietly to himself, until he glances at his watch.

"At the end of our session, I'm afraid we are," Dr. Yoda's placing his notepad down on his side table, grabbing for his cane. "At our regularly scheduled sessions, I will see you next," he guides the behemoth of a man to the door of his office, using his cane to steady himself.

The man looks like he's been alive forever, and Ben thinks gravity is the only reason for his drastically smaller frame. 

"Thanks for squeezing me in, Doc," Ben smiles down at him sheepishly.

"I have to say, Ben," Dr. Yoda begins to say. "Much better, you are looking."

Ben quirks a brow at him and wants to tell him he feels the same, looks the same and acts the same. He's still a grumpy asshole. He's still trying to come to terms with this irrational reluctance regarding his new partner. The bags under his eyes haven't left him yet.

His mother recommended using tea bags, but he's reluctant. He doesn't want to go out of his way to buy tea anyway, and honestly the varieties spooked him. Surely they would all work the same, no?

After scanning the different brands of black tea, green tea, and fruit teas with a dark cloud hanging over his head, Ben pushed his shopping cart out of the aisle in defeat. He'd just tell have to tell his mother he tried it and they didn't work out. At least that would give her something to dote on for a while.

"Just because _you_ do not see it, doesn't mean _I_ don't see it." Dr. Yoda reassures him when he sees Ben's doubtful look.

"Sure," Ben lets out a quiet _'humph'_. "Listen, I'm gonna try and... Get to know my partner a little better. I should be giving her the benefit of the doubt," he says, pinching his fingers again to settle the oncoming nerves from his admission.

"Aware, you are," Dr. Yoda says proudly. "A good idea, I think it is."

Ben nodded at his concurring words, and he left on that high note.

* * *

"You must be the knew transfer!" a voice resonated from the edge of the bullpen, and the young detective looked up to see the speaker bounding straight to her desk.

She looked up at him in alarm, his wide grin and striking red, slicked back hair catching her attention almost immediately. She briefly looked him up and down, eyeing his pressed slacks, button up and suspenders with a quirked brow.

"I'm Sergeant Armitage Hux," he extended his hand to her. "I was meant to come back from my undercover mission yesterday to greet you, but my son was a little iffy with the flu."

Rey took his hand and gave the obligatory three shakes, "It's nice to finally meet you, Sergeant. Detective Rey Niima," she smiled at him. "And I'm sorry to hear about your son. How old is he?"

Hux practically beamed. "He's 4 years old," he tells her proudly. "He's recovering pretty well. Such a little fighter."

"Do you have any pictures?" she keened further, excitedly tapping away with her foot.

Within a second, Hux has draped his blazer behind Rey's perp chair and is leaning his arms on her desk, phone angled towards her. He's thumbing through a photo album containing a seemingly endless amount of photos of a toothy grinned, black-haired child.

As he's sliding from the baby years to the more recent photos, he's telling her about him and his husband, Mitaka's, journey with adopting their son—who she learns is named Kayden.

She had always been interested in children.

They're so hopeful, innocent, playful. She'd babysat more times than she can count for her fellow co-workers over the years, more than happy to chip in and help in her spare time. Those energetic balls of joy, and even the brooding little toddlers, never failed to put a smile on her face.

Poe passed by with a hand full of folders and let out a low whistle at the sight of them together. "Welcome back, Sergeant," he greets Hux, then he looks to Rey. "Oh man, you get suckered into the baby vortex? You two may just be here for _hours_ ," he snickers.

"Uh, for your information," Hux gives Poe a pointed finger, "she asked for these."

"You _asked_ for them?" Poe gapes at her.

Rey's lighthearted giggle escapes at the sight of his shock. "Well, what can I say? I love kids," she smiles fondly, and Hux tilts his head at her with an equally affectionate look.

Safe to say she's glad to have found a common ground so quickly with another member of the squad.

When Hux leaves for his obligatory debriefing with the captain, the look he leaves with Rey is truly apologetic. And as soon as the chair is vacant, the civil admin, Lusica, has quickly taken his place. Lusica reaches for Rey's hands and she clasps at them softly.

"Good evening, detective," she purrs. "Listen, I've discovered the most eligible bachelor in this _entire_ precinct," she enthusiastically tells Rey, who is visibly confused by the nature of their sudden conversation. "But I just know that my strong, sensuous, sexual energy will be far too intimidating for a gentleman of his caliber. Although, that does not surprise me. It takes an Adonis to conquer this queen, of which there are few," her smile is charming and her tone is unwavering, which surprises Rey. 

"Er, okay—"

"But!" Lusica interjects her quickly. "I must say that he is quite the promising candidate of romance."

And the look she's giving Rey makes her eyebrows go up.

"Wait, are you—?"

"Indeed I am, my beautiful Sasquatch," Lusica pets Rey's cheek gently, bopping her index finger on the tip of her nose. "I'm trying to set you up. Now, are you interested?"

Rey is pulling back her hands from Lusica's soft, but firm hold. She sputters and lets out a breathy, nervous laugh, "I'm not really looking to date right now."

Lusica inhales noisily, but she still appears poignant and patient. "He is _30 years old, 6'0, single with no notable past relationships._ "

"Which suggests he's a workaholic," Rey counters.

" _The COO of a very auspicious tech startup, and he volunteers at the children's hospital on the weekends._ You know what _that_ suggests?" Lusica wags her eyebrows at her, and is pleased with Rey's lack of input. "Suggests entrepreneurial spirit and a heart that's warm enough to melt those icy walls you've had up since you were a child," she's tracing a heart on Rey's desk with a capped pan, and the she's wiggling her fingers around that same area, mimicking the crackle of a wood fire with her mouth.

The detective looks at the civil admin with wide-eyes, astonished that she was making a... scarily accurate assessment.

"Go back to work, Lusica," a whisky deep voice cuts through the air, drawing Rey's attention. She hadn't noticed that he was standing there, and she felt her cheeks growing red at the prospect of him hearing the details of her strange conversation with the civil admin.

Lusica visibly eyed the brooding detective up and down, drinking in his tall frame. Rey can't help but feel a little awkward at her outward display of unabashed ogling. "You know what would look good on you?" she asks him, but Ben has known her long enough to she's always rhetorical with him. "Like, a really tight button-up," she smirks at him.

Rey stares at her hands clasped in her lap, feeling the nerves in her hands go alight. The image of him in Lusica's suggested _tight button-up_ is quickly filling every void in her mind, and she's ashamed to admit that she isn't exactly opposed to it at all, no matter how inappropriate it may be.

"And maybe a leather jacket," Lusica tilts her head as she continues to openly examine him in front of everyone.

"Leather jackets are _my_ thing," Poe interjects to their conversation, and when Rey sees him, she notices that he hasn't even looked up from his paperwork.

"Wrong. Ignorant, and wrong," Rose argues. She, too, has not looked up from her work.

Their effortless conversing is leaving her baffled.

But there's a fair point to make when you realise Rose is the only one actually wearing a leather jacket out of the bunch of them.

Ben seems like he's carrying all the patience in the world as he's countering Lusica with something that Rey can only describe as a semi-annoyed frown. "Back to your desk, Lusica," he repeats himself. He steels himself, both of his huge palms pressed flat atop the paperwork on his desk.

"My God, you're strong," the civil admin whispers as she's retreating back to her desk with a lingering eye still firmly on Ben's frame.

"Come on, we're gonna be late," Ben turns his attention to Rey, and she's alarmed for a moment from the shift in conversation. He quirks a brow at her when she fails to move. "The stake-out," he points out to her, and she's quickly scrambling from her desk.

"Right, I knew that," she shrieked to herself, shoving her arms through the sleeves of her windbreaker.

* * *

They're in Ben's squad car. It's a sleek, black Chevrolet Camaro.

She has the sneaking suspicion that it was purchased at his own hand or at least partially funded by him because there was no way the department was going to fork out enough money for something that could've gotten them 2, or at least 3, new squad cars of a more sensible make and model.

And there's little doubt to her suspicions, especially after the tidbits she'd been told about her new partner throughout the day.

The son of a former senator, she mused to herself. And from old money, it seems.

But it's not just any former senator. It happens to be the very same former senator that she listens to when she's in the mood for a fierce, fired-up speech about socioeconomic reform and putting funding towards programs that support commerce, science and transportation. 

Leia Organa was a short, bold, spitfire of a woman. 

Ben Solo was a tall, reserved, brooding man.

At first glance, he looks nothing like his mother. But if she looks a little longer, she can see that they share the same eyes. They're smart and warm, yet if narrowed just right, they could level cities with a single glance.

They're at a red light just around the corner from their desired location, when she sees Ben looking over at her. She quickly looks away, suddenly finding the old lady crossing the street to be the most interesting person in the entire city.

In her peripheral vision, she sees him return his view back on the road.

Jesus, this is awkward.

Rey slunked further into the delicious leather of her seat, arms crossed over her chest in a pathetic bid of self-comfort. She can't get comfortable. The seats feel like heaven under her ass and her arms do nothing, they can't even provide her any warmth, because Ben is everywhere inside this metal box.

All she can smell is him. He invades her peripheral vision and his steady breathing beats rhythmically against her eardrums. The warmth he radiates even from less than half a foot away, it's enveloping her wholly.

She wants to fill the quiet void, but she doesn't know what to say. It would be such a futile attempt to start a conversation at the end of their trip anyway.

Ben is first out of the car, quickly followed by Rey in succession. 

He silently goes to the trunk of the car, retrieving a large case that she can only assumes has all their required equipment of the night. Mesmerised, she is, because she can tell that it's heavy, yet he's carrying it like it's a grape between his thumb and forefinger. Lusica's bold words rang in her ears.

_'My God, you're strong'_

Yes, Lusica. Yes he is.

Ben's not an idiot. When he catches her staring at him while driving, the speed it takes her to look at anything but him convinces him she's almost given herself whiplash.

He's making her nervous, which is definitely not his intention. 

It takes him a moment to realise that he's returning her staring with his own for a while too long, nearly missing the green light ahead of him.

She's nervous, and he has no idea how to go about it.

He'd told his therapist that he'd _try_. Had told his mother over the phone that he'd _try_ , but fuck, he doesn't know how to begin.

When they first met, the interaction was short and cordial.

The second time they met, she was drunk as a skunk and waving an adorable little pink taser in his face. It definitely didn't make him nearly shit his pants when it was buzzed so close to his eyes (twice. Fucking twice. The second time is when he and Tallie had left her in the lobby of her apartment building, where she was waving her taser around wildly claiming that 'it felt good not to have to use this bad boy'. Her pink pepper spray was no better, either.). 

Then his mind was perturbed by sinister whispers when he learns of her history with Pava.

So when they meet for the third time, she's cracking a little joke about their similar outfits and his first instinct is to give her a short, clipped answer. His next instinct is to fervently apologise and blame it on his lack of sleep, which is partially true, but it's ultimately his overthinking mind. He can't say that to her though.

He can't say that his mind runs a mile a minute with hypotheticals and that his disorganized id controls his big mouth, lest she crumble into ashes from the sheer awkwardness of his nature.

Essentially, this is the fourth time they are meeting.

The third time is apparently not the charm. That much is clear to him.

And he's painfully aware of the fact that she's nervous around him. 

And so he told his therapist he'd _try_ , he'd told his mother he'd _try_ , so that's what he'll do.

"Tell me about... yourself."

It's the first words that's been spoken between them since they'd left the precinct.

In the fading light of the sun, he sees the way her brows shoot up in surprise.

The air is crisp and pleasant around where they've set up shop, on the roof of an abandoned building. The building directly across from theirs is also abandoned, or so they thought.

'Reliable' intel tells them that lower level Crimson Dawn players have been scouting a new place for the big boss, Dryden Vos. It's a new place to have his shipments sent to as their last post was compromised.

Ben has to give the man credit. This new place he has decided to base his operation in is quiet. It's on the outskirts of the city, edged with dead land but still close to highways so they can easily receive their new shipments.

They'd quietly set up their equipment and pointed the relevant toys to the base of the building across from them to capture any activity.

Right now, as per the intel, they're expecting a shipment and the presence of the deadly boss himself, and they're very eager to capture the evidence.

He's about to tell her that she isn't obligated to do _anything_ but her job that night, until he sees her mouth moving.

"Well, I think you've pretty much gathered that I've been in the foster system," she gives him a shy smile.

He nods, remembering how he'd let that infamous big mouth of his get the better of him. On the inside he winces because, Jesus Christ, that was their first interaction together and he has to remember it by being an unaware, over curious, impulsive dumbass.

"I don't remember very much before foster care. Just little glimpses of the past, but nothing notable," she shrugs, and Ben furrows his brow as he listens. "I probably went through about a dozen homes before I actually stuck somewhere. I was only 11. The guy who fostered me, he wasn't great but he certainly wasn't the worst I had to deal with. He ran this scrapyard and when I started helping him around the place, he started giving me an allowance, which I saved and dumped into flying lessons."

Ben's big ears perk up at that.

"You fly?"

She nods proudly, "You betcha."

And he knows _exactly_ why his heart flutters when he hears that.

Suddenly, he's sitting in the cockpit of his father's Hawker 400 again. His father's standing behind the pilot's seat, ruffling his head of dark hair with his hand. He's still so little, but he promises that he'll fly this plane one day.

Han quirks his brow at him, and Ben can tell he is ecstatic. _'You want me to teach you?'_ he's smiling at him, and Ben is so eager he feels like his neck is going to snap from how hard he is nodding. Han chuckles, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. _'Okay, okay. I'll teach you.'_

Things weren't so stale then. Things didn't look so dark when Ben remembered that far into the past. Things were well at home. Things were easy.

"Me too," he finds himself sharing the intimate detail with her.

Rey tilts her head at him. "Really?"

"Yeah," his voice is soft. "It's in my blood."

And Rey sympathises with him. She wants to bump her elbow into his arm and say 'mine too', but the truth is that she doesn't know a thing about her blood except for what type it is (O positive). She doesn't know who it had come from. Doesn't know a single story about her blood, her kin, to recount to the children she wants in the future.

 _'I came from nowhere'_ , she'll have to tell them. _'I was no one. But one day, I told myself that I would become someone. I would fight the nothingness I was abandoned into and do my damn hardest to prevent others from falling into the same fate as mine.'_

He clears his throat and encourages her to keep talking. So she does.

She gives him pieces and clues to her life, to her history, and he's savouring each and every piece.

She's telling him about how she studied engineering in college, only because she knew she wouldn't be bored of the subject and that it would give her the skills she needed to fix the planes she planned to hoard in the future.

They're interrupted by a small convoy of 18-wheeler trucks below them.

"It's showtime," Rey tells him.

He's a little annoyed that the intel proved to be reliable, because he would much rather continue listening to this angel as she continues to spout random things about her life in this calm environment where no one could disturb them but they have a job to do, so he simply nods.

They quietly slink off of their makeshift seats, a pair of dead air-conditioners, and kneel by the edge of the building. He hands her a wireless earpiece and they turn on the auditory equipment to be able to hear the conversations down below.

He adjusts the listening device so it's aimed correctly, meanwhile Rey's changing the settings on the camera to capture the targets better in the dark lighting.

They hear the crackle of the device finally picking up the audio at the base of the "abandoned" building across from them.

_"Heya, boss. D'ya like it?"_

_"It'll do for now."_

Rey is peaking the camera over the barricade and is silently capturing the meeting between the boss and his underlings.

"It's him," she confirms the visual to Ben, who nods in response.

 _"The next shipments will be moving to this location for the foreseeable future. Should this change, you will be the first to know. Now,"_ there's a few moments of shuffling _. "In the first truck, there are a few individuals that need to be... Taken care of."_

_"Uh... t-taken care of, boss?"_

_"Must I repeat myself?"_

_"No! No, of course not, boss. I just... I don't usually do that kind of stuff—but I can definitely do it, if ya need me to."_

_"I must say, corporal... I am not fond of your hesitance."_

_"I'll do it, boss. Don't ya worry!"_

_"Good."_

Rey captures more images of the conversation. The boss, a tall blond gentleman with faded red streaks on his face, is stone-faced as he watches one of his men opening the back of the first truck.

She has to hold back a gasp as she pulls the camera back to review the captured images of bulky men hauling a pair of bound women and children out the back of the large vehicle.

She leans over and shows the camera roll to Ben, who looks at the pictures with a grimace. "Fuck," he mutters angrily.

_"W-woah, boss! I can't... Not the kids."_

Rey hoists the camera up to the edge of the barricade again to capture images of the boss gripping the face of one of his employee's in his hand.

 _"You will do as I say, corporal, or God forbid, it will be_ your _wife and child I'll be bringing here next time."_

_"B-boss, this is... It's—"_

_"When my men talk to their whore wives, their whore wives talk to their children and it doesn't take long before those little brats go yapping their little mouths to their friends and their teachers before another one of our bases are compromised._

_"I like you too much to make you sit and watch your wife and child take a bullet to the head, but prove your loyalty to me once more and I won't have to. Take the women. Take the children. Deal with it."_

_"Yes... Yes, boss."_

_"Bury them far away from here. Thataways east should be fine enough."_

_"Yes, boss."_

The images that Rey captures are of a broken man with his head hanging low, while his superior, the red-streaked face boss, is practically smiling from ear to ear. 

Ben and Rey briefly hear the muffled whimpers of the bound women and children as they're shuffled into the building and into the range of the listening device. She grimaces upon hearing it.

"I'm already calling it in," Ben reassures her quietly, his thumbs rapidly moving across the screen of his phone. She nods.

She continues to capture images of Dryden Voss's gaggle of Crimson Dawn underlings hauling boxes with unknown contents into the building.

_"I didn't know cocaine could be so heavy."_

They hear one of the workers snickering.

_"You know they don't call it cocaine anymore."_

_"Huh? Really?"_

_"Which one do you think some rich and stupid college kid is more likely buy; starkiller or cocaine?"_

_"Wow. So they're rebranding now?"_

_"Pretty much."_

Finally. Some verbal proof to what's inside the boxes. 

Rey silently fist bumps to herself.

So they're trying to manipulate the gullible, drug-friendly masses into thinking that cocaine isn't what it really is. And they're targeting the more vulnerable, curious, college-aged individuals... That can _not_ be good.

She'll give them some credit for their creativity.

Rey is jotting some notes in her flip notebook in between taking photos over the edge of the barricade.

Ben is also writing some things down in his own flip notebook, adjusting the listening device as he sees fit, to capture the best audio of the more detailed conversations.

He stops shifting the device when they hear the familiar whimpering of the women and children from earlier.

_"It's okay, baby. It's okay."_

_"Mommy, I'm scared! What are the bad men gonna do to us?"_

_"We... We just have to be quiet, okay baby? I'll keep you safe. I promise."_

Ben looked down to see Rey's hands clenching so hard that her knuckles turned white.

"They'll be here soon," his hand hovered over her. He wanted to plant a firm, reassuring touch on her shoulder but decided against it. 

He didn't want to overstep the boundaries, and she looked like she was already on edge as it was. The only comfort he decided to give her were his words.

And it seemed like it was enough. She nodded.

"Do we have an ETA?" her voice was shaky as she spoke.

"10 minutes."

She cursed to herself. "10 minutes?" she hissed at him. "Those kids in there don't have 10 minutes. We... we have to do something."

"We _are_ doing something. What do you think we're doing?" he replied, irritated with her.

"I think we're sitting on our asses when we've just gathered enough evidence to go down there and arrest Dryden, his corporal and the rest of those fucks down there for conspiracy to murder and the possession of drugs."

"It's just 10 fucking minutes, Niima. Hold out until then," he tells her firmly, but she isn't having it.

"Listen," Rey scooched a little closer to him. "Those trucks down there are going to leave any minute now, and when they do, they're gonna be vulnerable. Excluding the hostages, it'll just be the corporal, Dryden and his 2 bodyguards. Since those kids lives are in immediate danger and they were threatened with bodily harm, we can be cleared for maximum engagement," she explained to him. "We can _do_ this."

He thought over her words. Essentially, she was right. And he hated it.

The whole evening they'd been there, they were sure that there was no one else inside the building. That meant that there would be no surprises in terms of headcount.

He scowled at her but moved to grab to blueprints of the building from the kit.

"Fine," he grumbled.

He unrolled the map and grabbed his pen.

They quickly conversed on the best options to enter the building.

The made an estimation on where they thought the hostages were being held and where Dryden's men were waiting.

"This better fucking work," he told her earnestly.

She cracked her knuckles and narrowed her eyes at him. "We'll _make_ it work," she assured him. "We don't have any other choice."

Another quiet cry came through their earpieces, and it was enough for him to hoist himself off the ground.

"You ready?" he grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet.

"As ready as I'll ever be, Solo."

He let out a funny huff through his nose. "I can't believe you just turned this stake-out into an impromptu operation."

She simply smiled up at him, and it made him swallow any other remark that was waiting at the tip of his tongue. She was so confident in herself and it's clear to him that her main objective of the night is to rescue those kids down there. They had no right being used in this situation, and he empathised with her on that one.

They gathered their equipment, packing it away then shoving the kit inconspicuously between the dead air-conditioners.

When they got down to the base of the building, the trucks were nowhere to be seen.

The door to the building remained open, and from what they could see, the lighting inside was abysmal. The two detectives snuck across the street and pressed themselves to the wall on the side of the building.

She pulled a firecracker out of her pocket and lit it, throwing it just ahead of them on the ground.

Ben had no time to ask himself just where the fuck she got a firecracker from before the thing sparked to life and crackled loudly into the night air. When it died down, a moment passed until they heard someone exiting the building.

They saw the shadow of 2 men approaching them and when they rounded the corner, they launched forward and each grabbed an assailant, putting them into headlocks.

A few moments of struggling passed and the perps relaxed in their holds, silently falling to the ground.

"Fucker almost bit me," Ben growled, wiping the spit from his jacket.

"Cool story," she replied breathlessly. "It should just be Dryden and the corporal in there," she tells him as she's ziptying the unconscious perps on the ground.

"Rey," he interrupts her. "It's just 5 more minutes. We can still hold out for the rest of the team."

She shakes her head at him.

"Anything can happen in 5 minutes, Solo. It's now or never."

He clenches his jaw. He hates how insistent she is about this. They've just knocked out half of the perpetrators, and waiting didn't seem like such a far-fetched thing.

"If we wait 5 more minutes and those kids in there are dead, I'll never be able to forgive myself. We're here, we're capable and the window of opportunity is closing," she pleads with him. "We've already come so far," she gestures to the perps unconscious by their feet.

She waits for a moment as she sees him contemplating what to do.

She scoffs at him and reaches for her holster, pulling out her gun. "If you're not going in there with me, then I'll do it myself."

She turns the corner, silently approaching the entrance.

He can't just let her go by herself. Fucking hell, why does she have to be so sure of herself? Does she ever stop to think for herself, or has she always been such an impulsive little thing? He scowls yet he finds himself being pulled by an invisible force. His gun is drawn and he's quietly following her into the building. 

The look Rey gives him when she sees he's behind her is palpable. It's relief.

She ducks her head into the opening and gestures for him to follow behind her. They pass by a huge, open portion of the building that contained all of the boxes that had been hauled off the trucks from earlier.

He hears talking in an adjacent room and puts a hand on her shoulder to stop her from moving any further.

When she turns to look at him, he gestures to the room ahead of them.

They each take a side of the door to the room where Dryden and the corporal are talking, and they wait a moment.

Ben slowly takes a hand off his gun and he quickly grabs the handle to the door, pushing it open.

"NYPD, get down on the ground!" Ben bellows, stepping into the room with his gun aimed towards Dryden, who is sitting behind a dusty old desk with a glass of liquor in his hand, his legs kicked up on top of the table.

The corporal, who looks even thicker in person than he does in the images, quickly drops belly first onto the floor with his hands raised as high as he can get them.

Dryden silently refuses to move, and instead opts to take a sip of his liquor. He's scowling at this subordinate who is already sobbing into the mouldy floor.

"Must you cry so loudly?" he sneers, slamming his cup onto the desk.

"Get down on the ground!" Ben repeated himself, louder than before. And if Rey had heard him at this volume in any other vicinity, she'd have half the mind to cower in fear.

Dryden swings his legs off the dusty desk, standing to his full height and revealing his immaculate clothing. He was dressed in a black turtleneck, pressed black slacks and polished dress shoes. The outer layer he whore was akin to a cape, brushing against the dirty floor.

"I'd rather you just arrest me like this," Dryden insisted dryly.

While Rey pressed her knee to the back of the corporal's thighs, bringing his wrists together to be cuffed, Ben had stalked forward and grabbed Dryden by the arms. He shoved him face first onto the closest wall and handcuffed him.

"You go look for the hostages, I've got it here."

She nodded and told him she'd contact the team to let them know that they've got the situation under control.

Ben told her to find the women and children quickly, while he situated the perps into a more manageable space by hauling them both to sit against the wall.

Suddenly, Dryden laughed.

The corporal looked at him with bewildered eyes.

"What's so funny, Voss?" Ben narrowed his eyes at him.

"Detective Niima looks very pretty tonight, doesn't she?" he chuckled mischievously.

Ben swallowed. "Have you two met before?"

Dryden shook his head. "Ah, unfortunately not. I've seen many pictures though," he licked his lips. "She looks much better in person."

Ben's fingers curled tightly around the handle of his gun. "Pictures?"

As if coming to his senses, Dryden looked down at his lap with a smile. "Something like that."

"How do you know Detective Niima?" Ben urged, but Dryden decided that now was the time to be tight-lipped.

"You have no idea who she is, do you?" Dryden gawked at him with an amused look on his red-streaked face.

Just down the hall, Rey was going from door to door trying to locate the women and children. She was praying with every fiber in her body that she would find them well and alive.

"Police! Are there any individuals in this building?" She shouted out.

She heard some yelping from the room down the hall and found that the door was locked. She called out for the people inside to step back. In one swift motion, she raised her foot and drove herself forward on the door handle and the door swung open.

She lifted her gun and flashlight and scanned the room only to see the women each cradling a child in their arms in different corners of the room.

"Are you all right?" she asked them and they fervently nodded.

The women and children burst into tears, giving her their thanks. She called out down the hall to let Ben know that she found them, and she heard him shout back a confirmation in response. Just then, she heard the distant sound of sirens and she smiled at them.

"I'm with the NYPD. You're safe now," she reassured them, and they continued to nod and spout their gratitude towards her.

Moments later, the SWAT team arrived with Finn and Rose as the leads.

"Holy shit, Peanut," Finn gaped at her. He and the whole crew were dressed head to toe in tactical gear, save for Hux who she could see outside, taking command and ordering the team around for perimeter security.

Finn pointed his rifle to the ground when he found her untying the hostages.

"Detective," Rey acknowledged him with a relieved smile. "Let's get these women and children to the medical team."

"Sure thing," Finn nodded.

Ben hauled Dryden and the corporal out of the building, handing them over to Hux.

"There's 2 unconscious perps at the side of the building," he told him. "And that red-faced fucker asked for his lawyer."

Hux nodded and shoved each of them into the backs of different police vehicles.

"I'm impressed, Solo," Hux told him. "This was one hell of an operation. And it was supposed to just be a stake-out."

Ben huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, well it wasn't my idea," he saw Rey leaving the building with the children, the alternating lights of the emergency vehicles painting them in red and blue. "It was hers."

He watched as she guided the children to the waiting ambulances, the sight of their red wrists and ankles tugging at his heart strings. "As soon as she heard that Dryden wanted them killed, she jumped into protective mode," he exhaled noisily. "And then it just went from there."

Hux hummed. "Well, whoever's decision it was, this is one hell of a bust," he gave the detective a congratulatory clap on the back. "It's probably the biggest drug bust in precinct history."

Though the news was exciting, Ben was in no mood for celebrating.

He looked to the vehicle where Dryden sat alone, staring ahead at nothing.

_"You have no idea who she is, do you?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know, I'm bad at writing Yoda. Leave me alone.


	4. Retro

Rey decided that seeing Rose down six bottles of beer without flinching was impressive.

What wasn't impressive, however, was how she failed to keep up with her.

"You know," Rose placed her beer atop her coaster, "that stunt you pulled last week was impressive. Your report was good, too."

Rey looked confused.

"Wait, you read my report?"

"Mhm."

"I only finished that an hour ago."

Rose nodded.

"And you left before me."

She shrugged in response. "The world works in mysterious ways."

Rey marveled in astonishment at her mysterious co-worker. "My god, you're amazing," she whispered.

"You should slow down by the way, we all heard about your little taser incident with Solo," she chuckled in amusement.

Rey lifted her head in surprise, her cheeks turning red.

"Oh God," she mumbled to herself in embarrassment. "Was he angry?"

"Who?"

"Solo."

"Oh. I dunno," she shrugged.

"Wait, but then," Rey looked at the squad members drinking around the bar.

She saw Finn, Lusica and Poe sharing a pitcher of beer in the karaoke corner. Poe, bless his soul, was singing 'It's Raining Men' with all his might. Hux and Holdo were further down the bar, engaged in what looked to be a very interesting conversation.

Sitting alone in the same booth as the week before, Ben nursed a single glass of whisky.

"Who told you?"

"She did," Rose raised her drink and pointed at Tallie, who was walking towards them with a big grin on her face.

"Hey, Rey! How you feeling?" Tallie greeted her with infectious enthusiasm.

Rey sat up a little straighter and embraced her in a side hug. "I'm great, thanks."

"Tallie, didn't she also use her pepper spray on him?" Rose asked her with a mischievous smirk.

Tallie nodded and Rey choked on her own spit.

"I didn't—I didn't _use_ it," she wallowed to herself as Rose and Tallie laughed together.

"I have to say, it was pretty funny," the blonde detective assured her softly.

"Maybe," Rey mumbled.

"I don't know why you're worried about it now. This happened last week," Rose sipped her drink.

"I forgot to apologise," Rey pouted.

"I'm sure he doesn't mind. He knows you were drunk," Tallie assured her.

At this, Rey looked at her half-full bottle of beer. She pushed it away and stepped off the bar stool.

"That's no excuse. It was embarrassing. I haven't exactly given him the best impression and truth be told, I can be a little impulsive at times. Last week's little impromptu operation only proves that," she slumped her shoulders.

Tallie gave her a soft pat on the back. "Or maybe you just have good instincts."

"Waving a taser in my new partner's face is a good instinct?" Rey looked at her with a dejected frown.

Rose snorted. "And pepper spray."

"Okay, maybe not," Tallie laughed softly, "but if you want to talk it out with him, he's right over there," she pointed to where Ben was sitting by himself in his own booth.

"Go get him, tiger," Rose lifted her drink in solidarity.

Rey thanked them both and left to go after her partner.

"Mmm, I love a woman with a taser," Rose hummed in approval as she watched Rey walk away. Tallie giggled, bumping Rose's arm with her elbow in agreement. 

Rey swallowed all of her doubts and walked through the bar to Ben's dimly lit booth. She slid in quietly and Ben raised an eyebrow at her.

"Detective," he nodded to her silently. "I read your report. It was good," he said to her with a curt nod.

She hung her head low, "I couldn't have done that operation without you."

"That's not true," he shut her down immediately.

"Yes it is," she insisted, growing frustrated with how doubtful he was. 

"I didn't even want to help you in the first place," he pointed out. She tilted her head at him.

"Yet you did," she replied firmly. "It may be true that you didn't want to help, but those women and children are safe, and those drugs will never touch the streets because of you."

Ben looked at her with furrowed brows. He cast his eyes down to see that her small hand was placed atop his own. Her thumb gently pressed into his knuckle as she gazed at him with pleading eyes, desperate for him to accept her point of view.

"I... I suppose you're right," he cleared his throat.

A soft smile eased her features as she pulled her hand back. "That's good," she told him. "And, um, I actually wanted to apologise about last week. I'm sorry for, you know, basically threatening you with my taser and my pepper spray."

Rey wrung her hands nervously in her lap, unable to meet his gaze.

"That's... You don't have to apologise for that," Ben chuckled quietly.

She whipped her head up to look at him, obviously confused. "But, I—!"

"I know I'm a big guy," he looked down at himself, frowning. "And it's understandable if I spooked you. We don't really know each other that well, and I guess I'm partly to blame for that. I haven't exactly been the most... _accommodating._ "

She smiled at him. "You didn't... _spook_ me, per say," she cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her neck. "Truthfully, I think I was just trying to tease you."

His brows arched in surprise at that. He hummed and nodded, his fingers playing with the rim of his cup. "Tease me, huh?"

She prayed that the dim lighting was able to hide her red cheeks. "Yeah," she giggled anxiously. "Again, I'm sorry about that."

When she looked up at him, she saw the corner of his lip twitch into a half-smile.

"You don't scare me, by the way," she gestured to him with a shaky hand. "Just so we're clear."

"That's good," he replied softly. He gazed at her as she chewed her bottom lip anxiously. 

She caught the way his eyes drifted down and subconsciously, she pulled her shoulders back to straighten out her posture. He swallowed and looked away, taking a sip of his whisky, letting the bitter liquid distract his palate.

"You _are_ pretty loud though," she said to him jokingly. "When we were arresting Voss and the corporal, you almost ruptured my eardrums. And that would suck, since... I kind of need my ears to hear more about you," she gently rapped her knuckles against the tabletop, "I've already told you so much about myself that you could probably write my autobiography. And all I know about you is that you're a detective that can fly a plane. It's impressive, but I don't think I can make much of an autobiography out of that."

Ben smirked. "Well, if you throw in the plot to some obscure comic from the 60's, I'm sure that would make it a much more interesting read," he assured her.

She practically glowed at his humorous quip. That's a first. Hopefully it won't be the last.

"Go on, then," she encouraged him warmly.

He caught the hopeful look in her eyes and nodded once before downing the rest of his drink with a hiss.

She sat and listened to him attentively as he spoke about how he had a quiet upbringing. He divulged the facts on his parents, his former-senator mother and pilot father, which explains how he knows how to fly. He brushes over the details of his teenage years, saying he got into a little trouble with some bad cookies, and that afterwards, he decided to join the academy.

"Hux was actually my first partner," he tells her. "At first, I thought he was a bit of an obnoxious jackass but I suppose he's an okay jackass now," he chuckles. "Especially now that he's settled down."

"He doesn't seem like a _jackass_ ," she pouted. "His kid is cute too."

"Yeah, the kid's alright. I actually taught him how to curse."

Rey gasped and slapped his arm from across the table. "No you _didn't_ ," she laughed in disbelief.

Ben grinned mischievously, rubbing the spot where she hit him. "It's a milestone in his life that I'm glad to be responsible for."

"He's 4," Rey shook her head at him.

"He's growing young man!" Ben argued proudly, his smile lines on full display. "I would've killed to have known those colourful words when I was his age. It's the perfect ammunition on the playground."

This was it. Their first casual conversation that was absent of any cold shoulders, and it wasn't on the clock. There's no credit to be given to forced enclosures, this is just them having a chat in a bar. Rey couldn't be more thankful that it was happening sooner than later.

"If that little young man is going to do _anything_ on the playground, it should be taking the high road."

Ben rolled his eyes jokingly and tapped his fingers on the table.

"Fine."

"Okay."

"Good."

"Wonderful."

A quiet but comfortable silence enveloped them, and they watched each other, anticipating the other's next move.

He mindlessly swiped the rim of his cup with his fingertips as he watched her chest rise and fall slowly. She tilted her head at him. Her heart raced when she felt his eyes roving across her face as though he were capturing every detail and committing it to memory. She wonders how he'd describe her to a sketch artist. Would he be clinical about it? Or would he be go into ridiculous detail, saying her eyes were pools of honey with drops of blackcurrant?

It was unlikely as hell, but an amusing thought nonetheless.

She observed him too. He had a handsome yet unusual face. His angular, slightly crooked nose was the center point. A plush mouth was the next focus, then his dark and intense, deep set eyes drew her attention after that. Though it was an unusual mix of characteristics, it just worked.

She could imagine it all right between her thighs, his mouth soaking her in like his life depended on it. He's a determined guy too, she knew that much. He probably wouldn't stop until he's made her come at least twice before pushing her knees apart, filling the vacant space with his hips.

Shit, no.

Not that. 

Ben Solo was an attractive man, that was it. Nothing more to it. His beautiful face right between her thighs was not important.

She inhaled sharply, shuffling out of the booth at a ridiculous speed, which made him frown.

"You okay?"

"I'm good. Just a little tired after today," she zipped up her trusty windbreaker, tucking a hand under her neck to release the hair trapped under the collar. 

He nodded understandingly. "Same here. That was probably the wildest B&E I've ever seen," he tells her jokingly. 

It sure was wild. Some college kid was pulling a prank on one of his roommates by lining every flat surface in their apartment with cups. Every cup was filled with watered down syrup, and several of the cups had been tipped over during the prank. Days later, when their shared apartment was broken into, both she and Ben had arrived to an ant-infested apartment. They had to hip and hop all over the apartment in shitty fabric suits that stuck to the floor as they collected the evidence, all before pest control could clean the place.

"Oh, I've seen worse," Rey snickered.

"Is that right?" he quirked a brow at her. He was still engaging in conversation with her and in her mind, flashes of his dark hair are still trapped between her legs and his eyes are looking into hers and into her soul. For a split second, she was afraid that he could see exactly what was happening in her befuddled thoughts. She has to remind herself that he can't read minds.

"Yep," she squeaked, grabbing her side bag out of the booth. "Two words: flat cats."

Ben grimaces but smiles nonetheless. "I don't know what business anyone has robbing a hoarder. They don't necessarily keep things of value."

And he has no business robbing her of her sane, conscious thoughts. Every time he talked, all she could imagine was his deep, tender voice spitting filthy things into the air as he's driving himself into her tight, wet heat.

Trying to keep up with Rose's far superior alcohol tolerance was a mistake.

Thinking straight was way out of the question. She had to get home and she had to get home _now_.

"So true," she laughs awkwardly. "I'm gonna head home now. I'll take a cab this time, so don't worry."

"Stay safe out there, Niima."

"Call me Rey, please," she rolled her eyes at him softly. "You've been calling me Niima all week. Just Rey is fine."

He observed her for a second before nodding. "Okay," he raises his empty glass to her, "stay safe out there, Rey."

"You too, Ben."

And with that, she left in a haste, desperate to get back to her apartment and scrub every inch of her body to get rid of any sticky maple residue or any God forbidden lingering ants, and hopefully if she scrubs hard enough at her head, maybe she could clean her mind too.

* * *

Rey walked into work the next day with a pounding headache.

When she got home the night before, she scrubbed herself clean, drank a little more to try and dull those intrusive thoughts of Ben bending her over her kitchen table, to which she proceeded to abuse her trusty vibrator approximately three times. She can't remember. Sufficed to say, it was as enjoyable as it was guilt-inducing.

"Morning, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson," Lusica snickered.

Rey looked down at her black turtleneck, distressed mom jeans and leather belt. "Very funny, Lucy," Rey rolled her eyes behind her dark Ray Bans, the only thing able to shield her eyes from the far too bright fluorescent lights. Had they always been that bright?

Finn gave her a quick _good morning, Peanut_ as she walked by his desk.

"Channeling 'The Rock' today, I see," Poe passed her by, giving a once over of her outfit.

"Ha," she deadpanned at him. "Get out all those jokes while still you can, fellas," she announced to the bullpen, waving her thermos at them.

Lusica snorted.

"Can you guys smell what she's cooking?"

"Not only do you rock, you _are_ the rock."

"Finn, that was lame."

"Shut up, wench."

"I bet everyone knows what you're gonna pick when you play rock, paper, scissors."

"Detectives."

Silence fell over the bullpen as they turned to Captain Holdo, who stood in the doorway of her office, her hands burrowed deep in the pockets of her pressed slacks. This time, she'd forgone her usual uniform jacket, instead standing with her crisp decorated button up and tie.

She scanned the room with suspicion, observing the stuttering employees who had just been caught goofing off.

Rey straightened her back. "Morning, Captain."

A flurry of _good morning's_ came from the other detectives as they stealthily made their ways back to their desks.

"Niima."

Rey hummed in response.

"A word, please?"

Holdo take a step out of her doorway, gesturing for her to step inside.

Once she was inside the confines of the quiet office, the door shut behind her with a quiet click.

"How has your first week been here at the precinct?"

Holdo sat down behind her desk, pulling out a manila folder. She clicked her pen and looked up at Rey.

She shuffled in her seat, quickly taking off her glasses even though the swift burn of the light on her retinae was immediate. The slight pain subsided within a few seconds, and she cleared her throat.

"Is this my first week evaluation thingy?"

"Yes, this is your first week evaluation _thingy_ ," Holdo laughed softly. "So?"

Rey sighed and leaned back in the cushioned seat.

She supposed it'd been pretty good. She'd reunited with her long lost foster brother. Her second day at the precinct, she did her massive impromptu drug bust with Ben and managed to arrest the leader of the syndicate at the same time, effectively taking down their entire operation. Things had been stiff with her partner, but that was understandable. 

They haven't spoken about Jessika yet.

She'd spoken about her with Tallie, and they'd gushed and cried with one another over a few beers (coffee for Tallie), but Ben hadn't tried to initiate any conversations about her before. Rey didn't want to be the one to bring it up, and if he wasn't comfortable doing it himself then she won't go there. Deep down, Rey knew the circumstances around his friendship with Jessika were touchy seeing as she... well, she _died_ in front of him. That's what she heard.

If she had been in his position, it'd probably take years for her to be able to bring it up without having a lump rise in her throat. She may have lost touch with Jessika over the past few years, but her death is still something that makes tears prickle her eyes when she thinks about it.

Seeing someone, someone _close_ to you, die right in front of your eyes is the most soul wrenching thing she could think of. But Ben wouldn't even have to think of something like that since it literally happened to him. She could only imagine.

Right now, she had the inkling of a thought that he partly blamed himself for her death. Yet another reason not to bring up Jessika. Tallie says that Ben loves to divulge details about his time with Jessika and that it's only a matter of time before he comes knocking on her door with a bottle of wine, asking for a little gossip session. Rey snorts at the amusing idea.

Things with him have slowly gotten better, though.

They'd been handling a few lighter cases over the week, dealing with aggravated assault and a string of B&E's, and they've had some nice casual conversations along the way. And last night was good too. In fact, she believed that he had been softer than usual towards her. Maybe it's because she actually told him that he didn't scare her. The way his shoulders relaxed at the mention of that, she suspected he had been carrying this sense of guilt with him ever since she first drunkenly threatened him with her taser.

It felt like they'd finally worked through one of their unspoken troubles with one another. 

And the way he looked at her after they'd jumped over that hurdle that neither of them knew was there.

Fuck.

It was a contribution to the reason behind why her head was throbbing and why her eyes were fighting against the instinct to squint under the fluorescents.

It was also the reason behind why she had to change her bed sheets.

Then again, that was of nobody's fault except her own. The main fact of the matter was that she had thought that trying to engage in a cordial work relationship with this guy was going to be tough, and to a degree she was right, but things have been getting better. She wished it had happened sooner, she was a somewhat impatient individual after all, but she's there now.

"It's been good."

She divulged with a sure nod. Holdo pursed her lips and raised her brows at that.

"Really?"

"Yeah, of course."

She saw the way Holdo held her eyes on her in suspicion.

"Well," she swallowed thickly. "I know now that Jessika was his last partner."

Holdo stopped jotting down her notes in the folder. She sighed and took off her glasses, looking at Rey with a frown. Holdo's expression was unreadable, and that paired with the next inquiry on her tongue made her squirm in her chair. "Did you... make me his partner because of my relationship with Jessika?"

"No."

"You could've partnered me up with Rose, she doesn't have a partner. Ben's a swell guy and all, but you know he's still working through his issues regarding Jessika's death and to be honest, it was a little uncomfortable when I first found out about it. I don't know why you didn't tell me. You knew Jessika was in the academy with me and that she was my first partner."

"First of all, Rose is a free agent. She works with anyone who needs the help, and she works just fine on her own. Ben, however, thrives better in a pairing or a group. He may not show it, but it's the truth," Holdo shrugged. "And I am well aware of his handling of Jessika's death. The department has provided him with professional help, and I will not divulge any further on that matter. This is not about Jessika, this is not about Ben and it's not about you. Quite frankly, it's about the two of you doing your jobs to protect and serve the citizens of this city and, by extension, this country. That is your sworn duty. It's what you both do best, and now that this is out of the way, I'm sure there is nothing else that will impede your work."

To Rey's surprise, her tone was free of antagonization and vexation, but they still rang heavily with the stinging truth. 

Had she really been so self-absorbed to forget the bigger picture? Maybe not entirely.

Her questions about Jessika were always lingering there at the back of her mind, and they hadn't really been at the forefront all too much. The absolute mountain load of work she'd done in her short time here could prove that. And it was okay to be a little selfish sometimes. Because, truth be told, if she _had_ been partnered with Ben solely because of that, she deserved to know. 

It may not be about Jessika, but acknowledging her existence in this place would have made things a lot easier for Rey's transition. It would've made things easier for Ben too.

She could tell that this wasn't Holdo's first time being confronted with the Jessika situation. Maybe that's why Ben had been causing such a ruckus in the captain's office a week ago. She'd been here long enough to know that Ben going into the captain's office and shouting up a storm was not in the norm. Although everyone's lack of surprise was still unnerving.

Rey exhaled and rubbed her clammy hands on her pant legs.

Holdo is far from a liar, Rey is well aware of this, but she is also someone who will withhold information if she thinks it's to everybody's benefit. In this case, Rey disagrees. Both she and Ben would have been better off had they known this information. Things would've been less stifled and so God damned _awkward_.

"Now that that matter is resolved, shall we move on?"

* * *

After her meeting with Holdo, Rey sat at her desk filing out her report on the ant-infested B&E.

"Jesus, Ben, you're so weird."

Poe chuckled, holding a handheld machine and jotting something down with the attached stylus, most likely his signature. The mailman took back the device and handed off a meticulously wrapped manila folder.

"Excuse me?"

"Who the hell gets their mail delivered to work?"

Ben frowned. "Someone who doesn't want their valuables left on their front porch," he grumbled in response, "or handled by their nosy coworkers," he snatched the package out of Poe's hands.

"Ooh, my ears are tingling," Lusica trotted over, resting her hip on Rey's desk. "My, my, that's a big package," she giggled. She tapped her nose and mumbled _pun intended_. "Pray tell, little birdy. What do we have here?"

"Need I remind you of the workplace boundaries, Lusica?"

Now that caught Rey's attention. What she had thought to be simple workplace or friendly banter had suddenly become serious for her. You don't casually slip _workplace boundaries_ into a jab, let alone to someone you're supposed to be close with.

"Mi culpa, mi culpa."

Lusica backed off gracefully, opting to stand behind Rey's chair, leaning on the backrest.

"Okay guys, back to work," Ben looked up at Rey, seeing here eyeing the rest of the detectives sternly. Did she just... Tell them off? She swiped a random paper off her desk and handed it to Lusica, "Can you photocopy this for me?"

Lusica rolled her eyes and plucked the paper from Rey's hand. "Gross. Do I look like your assistant to you?"

"Your everyone's assistant. That's literally your job," Rey responded, amused.

Lusica pursed her lips. "Touché, pussycat."

Ben watched as the civil admin slinked off to the photocopy room, relief flooding his system. He never truly had the energy or the gall to actually tell Lusica to genuinely _fuck off_ before. For one, it would be awkward since they work together. And two, it wasn't as bothersome as you'd think. It was a little ego boost for sure, but it only becomes bothersome when she doesn't walk away after the third attempt at flirting. Thirdly... Well, Lusica was a good listener.

When Tallie was taking her own time to grieve, Lusica was there for him. Albeit, she was a little offstandish about it, but she leaned into it after a while. Granted, Ben used her flirtation with him as a segue into talking about Jessika, and she was annoyed at first. But the more he talked, the more her overconfident exterior started to slip. And Jesus Christ, he hated talking, but he just needed to talk and talk, then talk some more just to distract himself, and who better to talk to and keep the ball rolling with other than the precinct gossip?

He had no idea that she could be so insightful too. Like another part of her was inexplicably deep and emotionally complex. 

Ever since that had happened, Ben has given her more leeway than usual. Though her help to him shouldn't be an excuse to continue being crass. It'd certainly gained her a few stamps on her _get away with bullshit_ card, but that card's got to expire sooner or later.

"Thanks," Ben murmured to her when the detectives had returned to their desks, mindlessly tapping away at their keyboards.

Rey raised her eyebrows at him. "It's not problem," she shrugged. "I thought you guys were just joking before, but is it... really that serious? To consider having to enforce workplace boundaries?"

Ben eyed her for a second before breaking out into a lopsided grin. "It's... a limbo, to be honest. I don't really mind but it gets annoying after a while."

"Are you sure?" the concern was evident in her voice, and Ben's brows creased at that. "People barely bat an eye at this, but if the roles were reversed, everyone would be jumping on this like a white knight."

Oh. 

"I know her pretty well and I know she doesn't mean any harm."

"Still," she worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "You shouldn't underestimate the people you work with."

He quirked a brow at that. In an instant, the words of Dryden Voss rang in his ears. 

_You have no idea who she is, do you?_

Instead of responding, he simply nodded and returned to his work. Her words may have been the casual show of concern or it may have been heavier than he knew. Because Dryden was right, he doesn't know who she is. You don't know someone in a week alone. Sure, they've talked about their pasts and have revealed a few of their interests and hobbies with one another, but he doesn't _truly_ know who she is.

He doesn't know her goals or her fears. Or if she pours her cereal or milk first. If she even eats cereal that is. They might not seem like important details, but those are the kinds of things you know about someone when you really, genuinely know them.

With time, those things might come to him. Or maybe they won't. If her words really do have a hidden weight to them, if she wants him to underestimate her, the possibility instantly gets whittled down to a zero.

Before Dryden had gotten to him, he'd finally gotten over his worries over her. She'd opened up to him and he to her. Things were nice. And he got to witness her chaotic yet incredible impulsiveness to protect the innocent and tear down the bad. Her methods don't exactly align with his morals or his code, but if it got the job done then that was enough for him.

He sighed, grabbing a butter knife from his draw and cutting his package open. He pulled out a plastic wrapped comic book.

"Holy shit," Rey murmured. "Is that the special edition of the third issue of Space Battles?"

He looked up at her, smiling. "You know about Space Battles?"

"Uh, no shit, I _love_ that comic! No wonder you had it delivered here. That must've cost a fortune."

Ben flipped the book around to show her the cover. It displayed the protagonist Kira, in her white tunic and brown straps, engaged in a defensive pose against the antagonist, Kylo Ren. Both of their lightsabers, his red and hers blue, are drawn and aimed at each other. The mint quality of the material showed that there wasn't a single bend or scratch, it was smoother than a baby's asscheek and reflected the fluorescents of the bullpen.

She gaped at the colourful illustrations, leaning further over her desk to get a better look.

"It's beautiful," she said lowly, tilting her head to look at it from every angle.

Ben couldn't help but smirk. "Do you have any copies?" he asked, tucking the comic book back into the sleeve of the folder.

"Just one. I found it in the attic of one of the houses I stayed in when I was little. It was the last issue though, and it was missing a few pages so you can imagine my confusion," she laughed. "But later on, I found the digital archive and I fell in love with the series from there."

He nodded.

"Wait, last night when I asked you to talk about yourself, you said something about the plot of an obscure 60's comic... Were you talking about Space Battles?"

He mashed his lips together, amused. He nodded.

"Gosh, you are such a nerd," she snickered. And there was no hint of malice in her tone. He smiled at her and shrugged. "Maybe a little."

"Maybe a lot," she added, clearly teasing him. For a moment, she just looked at him and he looked back. There was a glint in her eyes that he couldn't miss, and he loved it. Even though she was clearly hungover and looked like she needed a few more hours of sleep, she 

Fuck Dryden. 

Maybe Ben doesn't know her. But he'll give his all to make sure that he does.

Seriously, fuck that guy. He shouldn't even be _considering_ the words of scum like Dryden. He's the one that doesn't know anything. And he won't get the chance to know anything while he's paying for his crimes in prison like the sadistic piece of shit he is. Ben wasn't even aware of half the crimes this guy 

Rey pauses. And Ben watches as she retrieves her phone from her pocket. She groans after she scans her screen for a moment. "You've got to be kidding me," she mumbles. She stands from her chair and grabs her Ray Bans and her windbreaker. "I've got to deal with something real quick."

"Oh. Sure, okay," he clears his throat and dismisses her with a wave. She waves back at him with a cordial smile before retreating into the elevator. 

He wonders what could possibly be holding her out on the pleasant conversation they were just having. Well, he knows that she has personal things to tend to, and that those things might bleed into work hours sometimes, but he was so close to asking her what her favorite issue of Space Battles was and if she sided with Kira or Kylo. Or maybe she doesn't like either. Or maybe she likes both of them. He won't know that now because she's being held up of course, but this conversation could continue in another space in time. This is something he's well aware of, but he wants to be selfish for once. Be selfish for her. Because of her.

There's a conflict inside him, telling him he shouldn't be thinking that way. He shouldn't be thinking of her in many ways. In ways where she's waiting for him in his apartment with a hot meal and a warm hug, eager to know about his day. In ways where she's sinking to her knees and unbuckling his belt, tracing the outline of his cock over his jeans with her mouth. Now that was something he thought about three times in a row last night. The traces of guilt still line the grooves of his brain.

Thinking of her in a domestic setting was an easy allure. But who doesn't think about things like that now and again? With the beautiful people like Rey as the subjects of those thoughts?

It only gets dangerous when it's at the point of being uncontrollable, and Ben can control himself very well thank you very much. That's what he thinks, anyway. His train of thought wasn't like that when his hand was stuffed down his pants, thrusting into his first to the third explicit scenario in his mind involving Rey, where she's begging for his come this time.

Yeah. He can control himself just fine.

On the other hand, Rey can't control herself that well. Mind you, she's battling with a devil of a hangover and the sun has decided to come out in full effect this afternoon, enough that she feels like her sunglasses are of no use. She's wondering just where the hell that cryptic little asshole is hiding this time.

Her phone pings in her pocket once again. She rolls her eyes and reads the message.

_Unknown Number: Little bird. You don't think I'm actually going to loiter in front of a police precinct, do you?_

Obnoxious prick.

_Rey: well you must be if you can see me right now, asshole_

_Unknown Number: Awe, is that any way to talk to a friend?_

_Rey: just shut up and tell me where you are damn it._

He finally relents and gives her his location, which is a few turns away. It leads her to an alleyway lined with trash and a pair of lazy black cats. Even though it's bone dry today and the sun is out, the walls seem to be wet and sticky somehow. She kicks a trash bag on her venture down the alleyway.

His tall, lean figure emerges from around the corner and it nearly catches her off guard. He smiles at her softly, revealing his straight white teeth and his scruff covered dimples. She looks him up and down. She has to admit that he looks pretty good in his boots, skinny jeans and beige bomber jacket.

But she's beyond annoyed. In the distance, she can hear the light ding of a wind chime and the squabbling of pigeons.

"Taslin."

"Little bird."


End file.
